Still, the unexamined dictatorship never changes. An observable pattern in economics is that if you subsidize a certain behavior, you get more of the same. This is also true in journalism; heap fondness or inattention on a crooked regime, and it’s likely to maintain or intensify its grip. Too many journalists have subsidized Tunisia with coddling coverage of its economic success, gleaming shores, and espresso-scented sidewalks. It’s tempting, I know. I’m writing on a sunny hotel balcony overlooking a street that could be Rome’s.
But this is the Bill Cosby version of Tunisia, not the unvarnished one, and the people that live in the real Tunisia deserve more critical eyes on their handlers.
Thanks for posting this. You might be interested in these notes I blogged in 2007: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/06/18/tunis_off_the_grill/
#1 Posted by Todd Gitlin, CJR on Fri 19 Nov 2010 at 06:32 PM
Thank you, Professor Gitlin. I enjoyed your TPM piece on the same topic. Looking forward to meeting you in Cairo in the spring. Thanks again for reading.
#2 Posted by Justin Martin, CJR on Sat 20 Nov 2010 at 04:42 PM
Of course, "A Night in Tunisia" is Dizzy Gillespie's tune, not Charlie Parker's -- nor, your trope notwithstanding, Bill Cosby's.
#3 Posted by James Keepnews, CJR on Wed 8 Dec 2010 at 10:13 AM
Huxtable was trying to secure a copy of Parker's rendition of "Night in Tunisia," regardless of whether Gillespie recorded it first.
#4 Posted by Justin Martin, CJR on Thu 9 Dec 2010 at 05:07 AM