The Economist

Henry Farrell on The Economist

The Economist flatters readers who aren’t quite intelligent enough to realize how shallow it is into thinking that they are more intelligent than they are because they read it.

Ouch.  I could say that I’m glad I don’t read The Economist, but the truth is that, if I did, I would probably be flattered into feeling informed, if not smart.

Of course, if I bother to read the quote from Jon Friedman of Marketwatch in Farrell’s post (I have a bad habit of not reading quotes, only commentary), it makes a bit more sense:

Although I view Time and Newsweek (not to mention U.S. News & World Report and the Week) as sophisticated and worthwhile in their own right, the Economist is the smartest weekly magazine around.

Sophisticated?  That wouldn’t be the adjective I’d ever imagine using from any of those publications.  Sophisticated?  What’s his baseline - WorldNutDaily?  Scribblings on bathroom stalls?  While Farrell’s comment still has quite a sting to it, it’s not altogether undeserved…