This is funny? Really?

Look, I like ripping into Thomas Friedman as much as the next blogger — but I can’t agree with Matt Yglesias that the following video is “funny”: This is the kind of thing that accomplishes the following: A) It makes some people who dislike Friedman very happy; B) It makes people who agree with Friedman ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Look, I like ripping into Thomas Friedman as much as the next blogger -- but I can't agree with Matt Yglesias that the following video is "funny": This is the kind of thing that accomplishes the following: A) It makes some people who dislike Friedman very happy; B) It makes people who agree with Friedman like him even more; C) It makes people who have ambiguous (or no) feelings towards Friedman feel much more sympathetic towards him. Matt also suggests checking out his book Heads in the Sand as "a more intellectually rigorous Friedman takedown." That's great, but damning with faint praise. I'm pretty sure my seven-year old could muster a more intellectually rigorous takedown as well. Admittedly, I think he's an exceptionally smart seven year old, but still.... UPDATE: Jonathan Chait agrees with me on this: I don't think I'm particularly sensitive, but I find the notion of physically humiliating somebody who's trying to explain their ideas in a civic forum to be absolutely horrifying.For a more virtuous -- and more amusing -- example of pie-throwing, click here.

Look, I like ripping into Thomas Friedman as much as the next blogger — but I can’t agree with Matt Yglesias that the following video is “funny”:

This is the kind of thing that accomplishes the following:

A) It makes some people who dislike Friedman very happy; B) It makes people who agree with Friedman like him even more; C) It makes people who have ambiguous (or no) feelings towards Friedman feel much more sympathetic towards him.

Matt also suggests checking out his book Heads in the Sand as “a more intellectually rigorous Friedman takedown.” That’s great, but damning with faint praise. I’m pretty sure my seven-year old could muster a more intellectually rigorous takedown as well. Admittedly, I think he’s an exceptionally smart seven year old, but still…. UPDATE: Jonathan Chait agrees with me on this:

I don’t think I’m particularly sensitive, but I find the notion of physically humiliating somebody who’s trying to explain their ideas in a civic forum to be absolutely horrifying.

For a more virtuous — and more amusing — example of pie-throwing, click here.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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