George Rebane
Our local graphical commentator RL (Bob) Crabb posted one of his most powerful and well-crafted offerings filched here from the 11apr17 Union. In it he joins with deep thinkers like (also local commentator) Hilary Hodge and Rodney King to convincingly communicate the ‘Why can’t we all just get along?’ message.
Unfortunately, such effective propaganda messages leave out what the world has experienced and continues to do so today. I summarize it below.
[13apr17 update] A Lament. I discovered at Bob Crabb’s blog that he sees my post above as another episode of “mocking” him. In his post Mr Crabb expanded his own commentary with a thorough drub of RR, to wit –
I see that this latest entry is already being mocked over at Rebane’s Ruminations. I’m not surprised. George and his friends have been doing their endless circle jerk for years on end, now emboldened by the regressive policies of the Trump juggernaut. I’ve long since abandoned any hope of dialog with that snarky crew.
In a futile response I posted this comment –
I am saddened that you consider my critique of your excellent cartoon on RR as being “mocked”. No matter how our worldviews may differ, you have always had a respectful reception and, where necessary, a civil counter. In short, I have never mocked you, but would consider it a boon if you could point out which of my posts covering RL Crabb you consider as being of a mocking nature. Perhaps we have different definitions for the term.
Mocking can apparently be done only in writing but not graphically. To confirm this, readers can review all the Crabb cartoons that have adorned these pages over the years, and then decide whether or not they were floated down to us from the mock-free heights which some cartoonists inhabit.
Admittedly, the ad hominems that some RR commenters insist on inserting between serious analyses and commentaries do detract. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to convince my readers that such inserts reflect poorly on RR and, of course, themselves. (Re ‘snarky’ repartees; the boundary between snark and wit is hazy, save for those with a keen sense of others’ morals. One man’s snark is another’s wit.) However, I have yet to find another blog in these parts that has the breadth and depth of covered topics we do here, while welcoming all comers, and whose comment streams more often than not contain thoughtful, well-formed, and appropriately cited entries that expand on or dispute what I or our byline contributors post here.
In the final analysis RR is what it is, and that itself is variously seen/judged by its readers. As made clear over the years, I don’t pretend to present ‘fair and balanced’ views simply because I am incapable of such rhetorical feats. And moreover, I believe those who claim to be so blessed are really charlatans or simply ignorant. RR will continue to unabashedly reflect the tinted/tainted views which all of its contributors and commenters bring to this forum. Perhaps someday our betters can forgive us, but we are what we are, and it was ever thus.
rebanesruminations.com 
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