An Idiot's Guide to Tom Friedman's Idiocy

Tom Friedman may be the single stupidest figure in American public life, and certainly is the stupidest writer with such a large platform. I don't mean that he's wrong on everything (although he is substantively wrong on a lot of things) - I mean that he's actually an extremely dim bulb in that he displays a stunning lack of basic cognitive function. Specifically, he shows almost zero ability to realize that the arguments made by Tom Friedman often undermine the arguments made by Tom Friedman.

A great example of this is Friedman's recent column, decrying the truly lamentable fact that federal stimulus money is subsidizing job off-shoring and foreign green industries, and not building jobs and green industries at home:

So, right now, our federal and state subsidies for installing solar systems are largely paying for the cost of importing solar panels made in China, by Chinese workers, using hi-tech manufacturing equipment invented in America ... if you like importing oil from Saudi Arabia, you're going to love importing solar panels from China.

He's right on the substance, of course. Stimulus money is subsidizing all of that, as many of us predicted well before the stimulus passed. Why? In part because Tom Friedman, other pundits and corporations all made sure that the stimulus's "Buy American" provisions were severely watered down. Here was Friedman not-so-subtly attacking "Buy America" provisions as "protectionist" back during the stimulus debate:

President Obama has been doing his best to keep the worst protectionist impulses in Congress out of his stimulus plan. ... Each Indian state tries to protect its little economy with its own rules. America should not be trying to copy that. ... Protectionism did not cause the Great Depression, but it sure helped to make it "Great."

So here you have the same pundit who helped water down the "Buy America" provisions in the stimulus bill now complaining that the stimulus bill is being used to buy products from other countries. Likewise, this same pundit continues to aggressively support "free" trade policies that encourage the outsourcing he now decries - the policies that he admits he doesn't even bother to read.

Clearly, Friedman also doesn't bother to read his own columns - or perhaps he does and doesn't care that he contradicts himself all the time. Frankly, while I think Friedman is so self-obsessed he probably does read his old columns over and over and over again, I also think his contradictions are not so much a product of dishonesty as they are of sheer stupidity. Putting all (admittedly strong) desire to insult aside, I've genuinely come to believe that he's just an extraordinarily unintelligent and incurious person - a 12-year-old mind trapped in a pudgy, 50-something body. Only this isn't the movie Big and we're not talking about a toy company headed by Robert Loggia - Friedman is respected as a Great Thinker worthy of advising the President of the United States and influencing U.S. government policy.

Maybe that says all you need to know about the American Idiocracy and why we're so far up shit's creek.

 

 

Comments

[middlemanusa]

When our government chooses to subsidize coal and oil instead of new energy technologies, we have little choice about where our investment in green energy will go. Mr. Friedman actually gives a lot of reasons why that company builds factories overseas and not here at home. The whole thing made sense to me. He was just pointing out that we have the opportunity to create a better environment for these companies in the US so we can share in the economic growth of this amazing new tech field. Where's the contradiction?

[iMissMollyIvins]

Huh, I guess the world isn't so flat after all.

[dadw5boys]

Freidman Economic can't even put a real value on dirt !

[pfc1369]

I thought Friedman knew everything?

Isn't he always having lunch with the under assistant vice chairman for China's green industry, or some such?

And does he not then muse about some possible future in some possible world that looks similar to our own, but isn't ?

Possibly somewhere outside the rolling hills of Virginia.

[Nooneyouknow]

A direct hit, Mr. Sirota! Perhaps the moustachioed meshuggah realized for a moment that globalism doesn't look so good if it helps destroy one's own neighborhood, but then you'd think he'd have the sense to keep quiet about it.
Another mystery is why the NYT, America's flagship newspaper, has an editorial writers who, with one or two exceptions, suck. I suspect that's down to Pinch and the people who pull his strings.

[GodsCOMMENT]

It always wise to critique the critics, and this is no exception. But just making a single point
about self-contradiction is not by any stretch of the imagination GROUNDS for these kinds
of general repudiations and disrepectul negative slams.....not at all. IT would be far far better directed at the YESTERDAYS CNN INTERVIEWS with the VENEZUEALAN PRES. and the director of the LOVIN CAPITALISM flick, by LARRY KINGS AND WOLF BLITZER.

..........­..........­..IF EVER THERE WERE back to back IDIOTIC AND STUPID INTERVIEWS
THESE WERE THE TWO DUMBEST OF ALL TIME. THE FACT IS WOLF AND LARRY
GAVE REPEATED EVEIDENCE of being TOTAL IDIOTS....­..........­..

[GodsCOMMENT]

IN PARTICULAR, THE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA gave a TOUR DE FORCE PERFORMANCE showing OVER AND OVER that LARRY KING
READY
and.......­..........­..........­..........­....for the MOTH BALL FLEET.....­..........­......THE MOST
EMBARRASSING INTERVIEW in CNN HISTORY...­..........­........TH­E BOARD
OF
..........­........DI­RECTORS OF TIMEWARNER INC should be thoroughly embarrassed
..........­..........­..........­..........­..........­..........­..........­LARRY KING is THE KING OF CLOWNS

[GodsCOMMENT]

the Blitzer interview with Moore CLEARLY VIOLATED the most axiomatic of all television
rules regarding interviewing people who are promoting their movies and books, namely
questioning their FINANCIAL SUCCESS and GOALS. BLITZTER DID THIS IN SUCH
AN EXTRAORDINARY CALLOUS WAY it was clearly intended to UNDERMINE
THE INTEGRITY OF Moore achievements and aspiration­s.........­..........­..THE SITUATION ROOM SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN AND BLIZTER BE SENT BACK TO JOURNALISM 101

[Nooneyouknow]

Please step back from the caps lock key.

[TruEngineHearing]

God's comment is actually, "I'm here to tell you that this guy doesn't know dick about squat."

[max08]

God Almighty, I couldn't agree with you more.

[abbienormal]

Me too.

[GodsCOMMENT]

Friedman is a leading columnist because he researches things and makes argumetns about issues and facts and not personalities like most of the dimwits
writing today.

[mdtaichi]

Yeah - yeah T-Friedman contradicts himself. HOWEVER... the point of that article was the "irony" that American innovative technology is not being used to replenish the American jobs pool but is being exported overseas where it is helping the Chinese-German solar alliance gain substantial early advantage. The Green China phenomena is no joke. The Chinese research city is world-class leader and we -- the Americans -- have nothing to compare.
If we sit mired in job-less recovery while the Chinese yuan co-prosperity sphere dominates Southeast Asia and Oceania (through Singapore), then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Solar IS the future, whether BP-Exxon-Koch Industries will it otherwise or not! mdtaichi /

[littleolwinemakerme]

And we're now on our 18th "Friedman Unit" in Iraq!

[SamEllison]

One Friedman Unit = 6 months.

Either your math is bad or you've had too much of your handiwork?

or both....... ; D

[gro]

Thanks for the humor. I didn't have much respect for the guy anyway.

[capitalismisntamoral]

I'm no big fan of Friedman, and obviously he's wrong about quite a lot.

I am a fan and habitual reader of David Sirota. And I'm sure you're right that Friedman is contradicting himself.

Most people aren't aware of everything that he ever wrote, but reasonably informed people know that he was an Iraq war cheerleader and a 'free trader' (but then again who in MSM pundocracy isn't).

And "The World Is Flat" was more cheerleadi­ng/advocac­y/justific­ation/cove­r for globalization aka the outsourcing of all the tech manufacturing, high-paying American jobs.

BUT, in this case, his point about home-grown renewable energy & the required technology is 100% correct and 1000000% needed.

He has been talking/writing about Green Jobs for a few years and considering the large megaphone that he has, it's a good thing.

He's finally doing the right thing. Doesn't seem that right now is the time to pillory him.

[Nooneyouknow]

Sirota's point is that we wouldn't be having a problem with offshoring our green technology and jobs if Mr. "My Head is Flat" hadn't blasted the stimulus bill as protectionist (I exaggerate his power a bit, but...). At the very least, Friedman could be consistent in his undermining of the American economy.

[Poboy]

I stopped reading Friedman years ago. If there were one person, other than Bill Clinton, to put a face with a policy, he would be Tom Friedman with free trade. And this is not coincidental to Obama's little golfing excursion.

Great post, David.

[sunny123]

His articles have never made sense to me...I thought it was me that was stupid. Glad to know I'm smarter than I thought. I'd read through an article then sit there and wonder what I had just read. He must be one of the people who believe everything they say must be true because they say it.

Great post David!

[Rosey]

Me too! Good to know there are more folks out there thinking the same thing...... and how sad for Friedman.

Another great post David. Keep 'em coming!

[charlietuna11]

i agree david. at one time i read many of his articles but i've come to the conclusion that friedman has fallen hopelessly in love with himself.....

[americanwhocares]

Great Post Mr Sirota. It hits the nail on the head, republicans and all conservatives say one thing one day and contradict it the next day, Sen. Grassley is just another example, but they all do it. They are not used to the ability of the internet to expose their lies and of course they are backed by the people that control the US Government, Big Business.

[davedave]

i agree w mr. friedman when i agree w mr. friedman.

to be fair, i agree w mr. sirota when i agree.......

d

[americanwhocares]

d, are facts and truth optional to you?