In response to comments I’ve received basically along the lines of “Do they really think that is good argument?”, it reminds me of what Catherine Seipp wrote back in April 2004:
The constant ‘Eek, a mouse!’ tone of girlish fright has seeped from feminist rhetoric into the general rhetoric of the left. …
The feminization (and psychotherapization) of American culture so influences the newsroom now that gut feelings are too often treated with the respect of hard facts
This theory would cover why they throw out “zingers” (Eeek! a mouse!) without bothering to contest them or anything else (since they’ve got their strenuous feelings as substitute for actual hard facts).
