Comments on: Brian’s boo-boo two https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/14/brians-boo-boo-two/ Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:11:30 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: hank https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/14/brians-boo-boo-two/#comment-32276 hank Sun, 15 Feb 2015 21:30:01 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48811#comment-32276 It's all Obama's fault. It’s all Obama’s fault.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/14/brians-boo-boo-two/#comment-32275 bowser Sun, 15 Feb 2015 19:47:43 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48811#comment-32275 An aspiring TV anchorman is conducting a "man in the street" interview program as part of his way up the ladder. The topic of the day was knock-knock jokes. "Yessir, do you have a knock-knock joke?" The inebriated, kinda mangy guy replies. "Yesh I do! Knock-knock!" "Who's there?" "Argo!" "Argo who?" the reporter obligingly asks. "Argo f--k yourself!" is the punch line and the drunk wanders off with considerable self-satisfaction. The station goes nuts, shuts down the program, fires the anchor as word spreads throughout the industry. The poor fellow is crushed. However, he decides to try again. He gets jobs as a volunteer at small stations in Eash Armpit, Nebraska, moving up to Bumscrew, Arkansas, and on up. Finally, after eight years he's again conducting an interview program, punching his ticket. He's also spent thousands of hours tracing down every knock-knock joke the world has ever known. After a while a very respectable man, suit, tie, comes up to him, waits his turn, and says to the fellow, "Knock-knock." With a good measure of trepidation he replies, "Who's there?" "Walnut." Guy thinks. Can't do much damage to ask. "Walnut who?" The interviewee pauses a second, and says "Argo f--k yourself!" I don't know what that has to do with anything, but it might. An aspiring TV anchorman is conducting a “man in the street” interview program as part of his way up the ladder. The topic of the day was knock-knock jokes.
“Yessir, do you have a knock-knock joke?”
The inebriated, kinda mangy guy replies. “Yesh I do! Knock-knock!”
“Who’s there?”
“Argo!”
“Argo who?” the reporter obligingly asks.
“Argo f–k yourself!” is the punch line and the drunk wanders off with considerable self-satisfaction.
The station goes nuts, shuts down the program, fires the anchor as word spreads throughout the industry. The poor fellow is crushed.
However, he decides to try again. He gets jobs as a volunteer at small stations in Eash Armpit, Nebraska, moving up to Bumscrew, Arkansas, and on up. Finally, after eight years he’s again conducting an interview program, punching his ticket. He’s also spent thousands of hours tracing down every knock-knock joke the world has ever known.
After a while a very respectable man, suit, tie, comes up to him, waits his turn, and says to the fellow, “Knock-knock.” With a good measure of trepidation he replies, “Who’s there?”
“Walnut.”
Guy thinks. Can’t do much damage to ask. “Walnut who?”
The interviewee pauses a second, and says “Argo f–k yourself!”

I don’t know what that has to do with anything, but it might.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/14/brians-boo-boo-two/#comment-32272 ER Sun, 15 Feb 2015 03:24:14 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48811#comment-32272 Williams' story isn't just a fish story, an exaggeration of a set of facts that grows each time its repeated. It has no relation to the reality behind it. And its one thing to make something up at a cocktail party, or when bragging to your friends, or trying to look good around strangers, this is a deliberate violation of journalistic ethics. It smells of careful and deliberate calculation. But I suspect he eventually came to believe it himself. We know people lie for personal gain, to build themselves up, but they normally don't leave a trail behind them this easy to follow. Its a miracle this scandal didn't break out a long time ago. He left himself wide open. Williams’ story isn’t just a fish story, an exaggeration of a set of facts that grows each time its repeated. It has no relation to the reality behind it. And its one thing to make something up at a cocktail party, or when bragging to your friends, or trying to look good around strangers, this is a deliberate violation of journalistic ethics. It smells of careful and deliberate calculation.

But I suspect he eventually came to believe it himself. We know people lie for personal gain, to build themselves up, but they normally don’t leave a trail behind them this easy to follow. Its a miracle this scandal didn’t break out a long time ago. He left himself wide open.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/14/brians-boo-boo-two/#comment-32270 bowser Sun, 15 Feb 2015 02:48:13 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48811#comment-32270 I'm not as willing to grant Williams a pass for several reasons. First, he knows that his responsibility as a network reporter is to be as factually accurate as possible. Walter Cronkite, for instance, would not have confabulated, or lied, and that's why he was trusted. Williams is paid to be accurate and trusted. Unfortunately, Williams has destroyed himself, not as a friend, not as a neighbor, not as a father or son, but as a reporter. He's toast. Second, he's been inaccurate very close to the time of the event. And it was the sort of thing one doesn't forget. He knowingly deceived his public. Some of the embellishments may be the result of the fog of time, but the base of it all is a conscious lie. He is human, and a good guy, I'm sure, and he has done nothing which isn't understandable. He would be a good friend. AND, he's not qualified anymore to be a reporter on the national scene. I’m not as willing to grant Williams a pass for several reasons.

First, he knows that his responsibility as a network reporter is to be as factually accurate as possible. Walter Cronkite, for instance, would not have confabulated, or lied, and that’s why he was trusted. Williams is paid to be accurate and trusted. Unfortunately, Williams has destroyed himself, not as a friend, not as a neighbor, not as a father or son, but as a reporter. He’s toast.

Second, he’s been inaccurate very close to the time of the event. And it was the sort of thing one doesn’t forget. He knowingly deceived his public. Some of the embellishments may be the result of the fog of time, but the base of it all is a conscious lie.

He is human, and a good guy, I’m sure, and he has done nothing which isn’t understandable. He would be a good friend. AND, he’s not qualified anymore to be a reporter on the national scene.

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