Newspaper Dumps George Will Over Atrocious Rape Column

A major newspaper has kicked George Will to the curb over a recent column wherein the venerable conservative opinionator claimed that being a rape victim is a “coveted status” that comes with “privileges.”

In a letter to readers today, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Editorial Page Editor Tony Messenger apologized for running Will’s ridiculous June 7th column in the paper and announced that another more “compassionate” conservative named Michael Gerson would be taking his place. On one hand: “Hooray!” On the other, it’s pretty telling that a newspaper in St. Louis is more tuned in and with-it than the opinion pages of the most prominent newspaper in our nation’s ostensibly cosmopolitan capitol.

The last we heard from George Will’s camp, his (male, natch) editor was rushing to his defense, ironically using the word “legitimate” to defend Will’s proud ignorance on sexual assault. And George Will was defending himself in a way that conveyed that he continues to not get it (you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks). And then the Washington Post ran that column about how marriage will save women from domestic violence. So, great stuff happening at the Post lately.

Writing opinions about things isn’t that hard. I do it every day, sometimes five or six times a day, and often while eating. And I’m no George Will, but knowing the number of skilled writers across the political spectrum that I know, I’m willing to bet that there are hundreds of conservatives who are at least as good as conveying their opinions in print. Like Will, they can construct the hell out of a sentence. Unlike Will, they’re not wrong about almost everything else. Hire those people. Give those people a platform. And fuck this blustery know-nothing.