Thursday was a busy day for me. I spent three hours on the radio guest-hosting America's Number One radio broadcast. You can find a few moments from the show (including a heartwarming missing-cat story) here. Later, I was back on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" with Brian Kilmeade for a couple of segments. On Friday, I'll return to the Golden EIB Microphone for another stint, starting at 12 noon Eastern/9am Pacific.
Meanwhile, I rise on a point of privilege, as the parliamentarians say, to draw attention to some boffo numbers hot off the press:
Congrats @MarkSteynOnline!
Mark filled in for @TuckerCarlson & topped cable news in total viewers & the 25-54 demo on Tuesday
That's right, I did: We were the Number One cable news show on Boxing Day, both in the allegedly vital "demo" and in total viewers. Ninetysomething per cent of that is due to Tucker and his terrific production team and the show they've built. But the trick for a guest-host is not to blow that. So this is a good time of year to check the comparative measure of those of us who are Nature's fill-ins. And I'm pleased to say we crushed the competition on MSNBC, a million ahead of Hayes and O'Donnell, half-a-mil ahead of Maddow.
On Wednesday night it was a narrower victory, but we were still the Number One cable show except for college football, and the Number One news show in total viewers, beating the MSNBC guys by 600,000. And it was almost like the old days at Fox in that our ratings at "Tucker" matched the numbers for MSNBC, CNN and Headline News combined. As I said, all but a sliver of that is due to Tucker and his tremendous brand, but the sliver's the difference between winning the night and not. So I thank all of you who swung by.
I know the above is all a bit inside-baseball, but all the telly professionals pay huge attention to it - and occasionally I do, too. In the age of "social media", one mostly hears from people who loathe one, of whom, in my case, there appear to be untold legions. I confess I'm a wee bit riddled with self-doubt these days, and I sometimes wonder about continuing with TV (and radio, and stage work). So it's nice to know there are a few folks on the other end of the seesaw. If you were one of them, I'm grateful for two great nights at the end of a pretty rough year.
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79 Member Comments
Social media is rife with haters. Please Mark don't listen to them and do not have any self-doubts. You are doing a fantastic job.
A lot of your members here don't take to Twitter or Facebook. I certainly don't have time in a day. I do however try to get my daily dose of Mark Steyn by listening, watching you on Fox, or reading your latest posts.
You are informative, funny and intelligent - oh and I like your music too. Be confident and stand tall.
Watched both nights when you hosted for Tucker and it was a treat. Please continue to host and guest on radio and TV. There are legions of non- demonstrative types like me who count on you for cutting through the BS and telling it with facts and humour. Social media is an effort for us but rest assured we are out here and you have our unqualified support in all your endeavours- literary, video and audio.
Ron Milich- Founding Member
If it was available in The Great White North on Pau-per View I'd tune in for sure! Congratulations all the same.
I'll watch Mark Steyn over any other commentator any day of the week, although if there's a WWE event in the same time slot ... sorry Mark.
Mark Steyn 'a wee bit riddled with self-doubt'. That gives hope to us all.
You're no longer the 'one man global content provider' because the platforms you provided that content from found it too hot to handle. I hope you get good cheques from the outlets that do platform you. You're as stonking a talent as ever. Ever since I became aware of you on 'Postcard from Gotham', there's always been a 'mind stopped in its tracks' moment reading you, that makes one struggle with the mental gearbox to shift one's mind into a new gear to assimilate the genius of what one is reading. And you give equally good 'copy' in person as well, which is phenomenal. A lot of your humour is self-effacing, and I guess the downside of that is the self-doubt!
If you're ever short of cash, you can cash in on the times we live and sue Leonard Bernstein's estate for the post-traumatic stress of trying to put his tongue down your throat! I'm sure Mr Mann would give you helpful advice on shyster claims!
Mark, You've been a favorite of mine for years. As the years go by, and your predictions come true time-and-again, I stand amazed by your knowledge, wisdom and insight. Being a voice in the wilderness has to be hard; you carry a lot of water for the rest of us, and we appreciate it. You have an amazing gift, I hope you keep using it. God Bless.
Mark- hang in there! You have logic that is true and consistent - and we all need to hear that in today's noise. You also have a wonderful passion for the truth that comes thru when you talk and write. Read 1 Kings 19:1-18 - The prophet Elijah had a great victory and then became discouraged (suicidal). The Lord said to him "eat, drink and rest. And oh, by the way...there are 7K who have not taken a knee....just saying..."
Mark Steyn,
Congratulations on guest hosting for Tucker Carlson and various guest appearances on Fox. The Cleveland Tea Party blog loves you and links to your website frequently. One of the most recent is at http://clevelandteapartypatriots.blogspot.com/2017/12/three-on-fox-bench.html.
Pat Dooley and Diana Price
Cleveland, OH
I don't know if this is really true but, it seems to me the leftists are more intolerant of those they disagree with than those of us on the right. Why do they have to be so cruel?!? Who knows! Anyway, I am pretty darn sure there are more of us that love you than hate you. You are my favorite commentator after Rush. Just signed up for a 1 year subscription which I should have done long ago. Hang in there - we need your voice!
"I confess I'm a wee bit riddled with self-doubt these days...." -- Buck up soldier! The whole world now realizes you have been right for more than a decade that immigration and fertility are the most important issues to our civilization and culture. (Not everyone admits it in public, but all know it). Lightning struck, and we have an amazing President who gets it and more. You want Clarence the Angel to show you what Bedford Falls would be like if you had never fought the fight? I know my own intellectual life would have been diminished, and I think your ripples extend as far as George Bailey's, maybe more. Okay, you may end your days personally lost in bankruptcy and hard liquor, but you will aways know that you were right and that you did it all in style. Thank you for all your work, and please please please keep it up.
On further reflection, Mark, I suggest you don't get a TV show of your own. It would tie you down too much to a routine which I believe would limit your capacity for flexibility in addressing the most important challenges of the day. One suggestion among many!
I mis-placed this post inside a thread, so I am editing and re-posting where it (hopefully) belongs:
I imagine the difference between being a guest on the Tucker Carlson Tonight show vs. the Tucker Carlson Tonight show is striking; like a football receiver sent in as quarterback. The content and timing expectations are reversed, and difficult to master on an occasional guest-host basis. But, Mark, you are in the zone! In 2018, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to "hone the zone" until you "own" the zone! (This post will self-destruct in 5 seconds.)
Mark,
Permit me to chime in with my 2-cents regarding your "self doubt" comment:
There is no way "we" are going to let you slip a notch from the perch high atop your peers. It is not going to happen - so get that out of your system. Take that as an order from a retired Commander - okay? Good.
If not for you, my listening to Rush would be a thing of the past. If not for you, Fox would be sans another disillusioned conservative - fair 'n balanced my sweet patoot. Oooooops.
We all have different circumstances and as one who is pretty much housebound in terms of providing care for my bride afflicted with Alzheimers - having you in my life through your Club is something to look forward to on a positive note. You bring cheer on days (daze) when there seems to be nothing but gloom. I thank you for that.
Happy New Year, Mark and you have my support in the things you do.
Tom in Missouri
Yes, Tom, isn't this so? I've often thought that now Christmastime cheer was stretching 'round the calender year since I joined this club of Mark's. The weekly gifts of song and film reviews have sustained me. This was not an easy year for many of us. About the terrible Alzheimer's disease, i'm guessing nobody knows what that's like until it happens to a loved one. When the going gets tough the tough stay, they say. You are one of those tough ones, I can tell. And when it comes to Mark Steyn, I hope he knows he has many tough followers who plan to stay.
Fran,
Thanx for the comment.
The idea was to pass along a bit of "tough love" to the man who keeps this Club of his flourishing.
Happy 2018!
Tom in Missouri
Tom,
God give you strength in your "long, sad goodbye" with your wife. I too look forward to Mark's wit and wisdom. I also include Andrew McCarthy and Victor Davis Hanson to give me balance in my outlook. God Bless.
tug,
With much appreciation for your thoughtfulness.
Tom in Missouri
Mark, Congratulations on the being #1 on Cable news this week. You have always been # 1 with me! Looking forward to more Mark Steyn in 2018. Happy New Years!
Mark replies:
Thank you, Rebecca. That's a hit parade I'm honored to be top of.
You're joking right? About the self-doubt? Please don't be riddled! As a member I have been silent until now, but I must encourage you to continue at all costs! Never give up the work you're doing which is why I have supported you through all of your subscriptions and will continue to do so. I value your insight as well as your humor and talent which I first discovered in your book America Alone. Surely there is more to come and look forward to in the years ahead. You are deeply appreciated and by many more than you actually hear from, I assure you.
The "untold legions" of detractors are actually 3 guys laboring away at a Macedonian content farm owned by Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
Rest up. Carry on.
Re self doubt: If you're not stirring outrage from the Outraged Set, you're not doing your job. That said, Edgar Bergen's old dummy, Mortimer Snerd could appear on Tucker and Rush, and the Outraged Set would fume and foam at him. And you're much funnier than Mortimer Snerd. Well, funnier. Well, better looking.
Standing against your legions of loathers are your auxilia of acolytes, Mark, honored to belong to a Club that would have someone like us for members. You say (and write) what we think, only so much more brilliantly. You are a national treasure--of any nation among several that could claim you,
Hi Mark: I want to respond to your comment about your bout of self-doubt. I wish I could think of something clever to say but the bottom line is you are a colossus of reason and rationality in a mad, naive, ignorant world. Of course it is no small thing to see the FACTS ignored, and to be attacked by antagonists, but we need you out there!!!! A lone voice and all that...but an always impressively well-researched and well-reasoned voice speaking out on things that matter. Thx for all you do!
"THE PROCESS IS THE PUNISHMENT", our leader in the fight for Western Civ. has pointed this out numerous times. Mark has enemies surrounding him. POWERFUL enemies. Conservative billionaires and Liberal billionaires. The lawyer meter has been running for years against Mann and this year he's forced to do battle against another foe with deep pockets to "do the right thing".
The Great Ones, to solidify there place in music did hundreds of gigs across the fruited plains to get and stay in the land of the Great Ones. It's demanding and tiring. Mark is sharing with his core followers that it takes it toll. I can't imagine what it would be like to "walk a mile in his moccasins"
Thank you Mark for ALL you do.
Of course you're right, and this club member can't imagine a nanomole of me in Mark's Shoes, except I think I could handle watching Denys cooking up some shrimp and assembling a Buche de Noel! I could even volunteer for smuggling it across the border.
I live in Sydney and I don't have cable so, no, I didn't tune into the Tucker Carlson show. That said, I do view all of the excerpts available online because I enjoy your work. One thing that is missing when you guest-host is the tension during the regular Carlson-Steyn interviews - he comes very close to laughing out loud at the wrong moment.
Self-doubt is a pain in the proverbial, not least that when people tell you the truth, it discounts what they say ("Well that's very kind, but you are probably just saying that to be nice"). So ignore it - except to the extent that it helps you to maintain the excellent standards you have set. Remember that, there are many things you don't see and cannot know, such as my enjoyment of the music you have introduced me to (eg. Elgar's "Imperial March") or sharing "A Child's Christmas in Wales" with my wife.
Congratulations on the ratings. Happy New Year!
You do a fabulous job, please continue - but don't let it bring you down. You don't know how valuable your work is, but just do what you can, and enjoy it if possible, and please accept our (my) thanks for your work and entertainment. If we can help, let us know, but please take it easy if needed. (IYSWIM!)
Your crisis in confidence is somewhat justified . It seems Tucker's crew told you about k.i.s.s. A white shirt ,blue tie and grey suit well cut to hang right . I'm no fashionista mate but use your brains mate . A yellow ,orange or red tie with your colouring ? Wouldn't hurt you to find a razor either.
Apart from that I wouldn't worry too much
Fortune favours the brave . That's you champ .
You object to the ties? Where's Laura Rosen Cohen when we need her?
Quand nous sommes jetés dans le perplexité, nous faisons référence à 'urban dictionary' cott + sloe
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKUZ-ZIUiwg)
Steyn riddled with self-doubt? Please - I'm having none of that . You tossed that out and got the Pavlovian response that you expected. I've seen you share a stage with Louise Arbour and Simon Scharma, tangle with Senator Markey on Climate Change and address a packed house at Hillsdale College. You've pointed your acerbic pen ( forgive the anachronism ) in the direction of prime ministers, presidents, First Ladies, presidential wannabes, bogus Nobel prize winners, ousted dictators .I'm just mystified at your motivation. Your inflated ego doesn't need the accolades surely expected to come your way. Whether you realize it or not , you are developing a cult. You're one or two great columns away from your followers eagerly gulping the Kool-Aid.. I won't ! I don't swallow for anybody.
I imagine the difference between being a guest on the Tucker Carlson Tonight show vs. being the TCT show is striking; like a football receiver subbing as quarterback. The content and timing expectations are reversed and difficult to master on an occasional guest-host basis. But, you are in the zone! In 2018, your task, should you decide to accept it, is to hone the zone until you "own" the zone! (This post will self-destruct in 5 seconds.)
Kenneth, I have to disagree with you there. This is no cult and not in the slightest. Your unfiltered reply, which could perhaps benefit by a little politeness, is evidence of that. This is a group of individuals who, everywhere we look, hear the party line insincerely echoed, the basketful of clichés restated, done to mask the truth or avoid difficulty, allowing and enabling the erosion of our freedom and civilization. Mark takes on the challenge squarely and effectively.
We're also not happy that masses of people who enjoy living in freedom leave it to so few to defend, and in fact are so screwed up by the inane leadership that teaches them what they "know" that they attack those kind enough to dedicate themselves to telling them the truth. Do you really know what it's like to put yourself out there on a big stage and in turn be rudely attacked?
We just recognize talent, hard work, insight, broad learning, wisdom, humor, consistent truth-telling, and so, so much more. I think what you may not realize that has mystified you is you're forgetting that he's human. He's deeply human. We are all expressing our gratitude and wondering what we would do without him.
(Heh heh! It's still there!) But I never thought of it that way! Easy to be a guest but tough to be a host! No sacks permitted!
Ain't that the powerful truth?! Woo hoo! I was thinking after the 'cult' word hit me between the eyes: wait a minute, nobody is asking me to eat poisonous marshmallows or drive to northern NE to tap dance with reindeer in the subzero temps. I just breathed deeply after that one but I do like that we can say anything we want here. Another piece of evidence for the pudding!
Thanks, Kenneth! You reminded me of many of the stellar Steyn moments. They were indeed impressive! I still don't go for the cult thing. I'm just along for the enjoyment, enlightenment and comaraderie. My real cult is on the home front. I'm centered around good health, my family and my brood of animals. This club is only my annex when everything else is taken care of.
Yeah, but most cults and humanity majors and reporters can't discuss the molarity of the punch bowl chemistry to save their lives. Most American schools can't even teach moles and molarity properly. The look on that 'expert's' face was priceless.
Also, never understood this - what were people doing drinking fake, imported factory-made artificial Kool Aid when surrounded by a tropical forest of trees loaded with healthy fresh fruit just for the picking? Actually, from the harrowing video about the Jonestown massacre, the people were forced to, they actually didn't drink it willingly; they were herded together at gunpoint - and surrounded at gunpoint so they couldn't escape. Inconvenient fact for the 'cult herd' narrative that has dominated the culture since it happened.
Hard to top the comments already made in my rush to make the case that you're a Hero of the Revolution, as they used to say in the early days of the Russian Reds. Seriously, I don't know how you do it but please never stop. Wit and wisdom in such abundance is a blessing to all of us in the civilized world. Merry Christmas and Happy 2018.
I loved listening to you covering for Rush today. I keep my 24/7 membership for the days when you're on so I can listen after work. I hope you'll be on again tomorrow. Cheers!
Dear Mr. Steyn
You are without fail, the commentator/writer/presenter/guest host etc that I drop everything for in order to listen, read, consume etc.
This has been so since I first 'discovered' your around 2001. I have not tired of your take on things and continue to look forward to all that you create.
That you can have moments of self doubt makes you human I suppose but my self confidence will truly be shattered if I dwell too long on the fact that someone like YOU can have moments of self doubt...:-)
Cheers and here's to a better year, out from behind the paywall. Thanks for all you do.
Sincerely
Pat Gillis
Who could loathe our hard-working, undocumented anchorman, doing the job that America's anchorman just won't do, and for a fraction of the cost? Must be untold legions of twitter bots. Fake news. Move along. Nothing to see here.
Mark I suppose it is only natural that in the face of criticism self-doubt should creep in now and then, but please understand the extent to which your incomparable style and brand of performance are appreciated by so many.
As the geopolitically minded member of the family, I've been a voracious reader of your material for many years. But I have a houseful of females (wife, daughters, and yes pets!) way out here in Newfoundland who think very little on matters of civilizational collapse, yet absolutely love you for your splendid musical recordings and fantastic new audio adaptations, Tales for Our Time. This Christmas was made extra special with our newly arrived, autographed, Runnin on Eggnog sheet music (it made a fabulous addition to the extended family Yuletide singalong this year!). My ten year old calls herself your "biggest, littlest fan".
So please do not let those legions of detractors keep you off the air. And keep the Mark Steyn Club material coming. Because though many days it may feel like we're all manning the short end of the see saw, as a fellow happy warrior I very much like the company I keep.
Mark replies:
Thanks very much for those kind words on "Runnin' on Eggnog", Todd. Kevin Amos and I had a grand time writing that song - and, if we ever get sufficiently on top of your half-hour-ahead time zone to do our Christmas show from Newfoundland, I promise we'll get your ten-year-old front-row seats.
I suppose second guessing can be natural...but don't give into it. I second comments by other readers below, and also want to call attention to the remarks you gave in FL in November at the David Horowitz weekend at the Breakers. Those remarks were exceptional...a true rant on one hand, but totally incisive on the other. So keep doing what you're doing and don't give up. The work with Tucker and Rush are great; your contributions supplement their messages. Your take is so unique, I'm not sure it should be molded to some type of network straight jacket. But if it takes that to get the word out more effectively?...
Maybe just step back periodically to keep your own perspective and sanity, which I believe you already do.
All best,
Elizabeth Bakoss.
Good remarks, Elizabeth. Believe you hit the nail on the head about Mark's unique take and the molding part. That would be tough to see anyone put Mark into a mold. We like that moldless, funny, thinking-out-of-a-box Mark. It's so darn refreshing.
Don't underestimate the cranky guys in plaid leveling both barrels through the screen door. There are more than we can imagine throughout the country. They are also on the other end of the seesaw.
Bravo! Well done!
Mark: credit where it's due to Tucker's brand, but such phenomenal (and not in the least bit surprising) success is due, in no small part, to the brand of a certain One-Man-Global-Content-Provider.... Congratulations!! Hopefully any self-doubt has been dispelled by the stats. They'd be mad not to ask you to host your own show, surely? The planet needs you!!
It barely qualifies as hyperbole when I say you simply cannot give up TV or radio or any other medium that spreads your message because you are one of the few last hopes for the survival of western civilization. You are one of the precious few who are capable of articulating an argument that can truly change minds. You simply must keep speaking.
For what it's worth, from a subscriber in Phoenix, Arizona, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying the world would have a big void without Mark Steyn on the airwaves and interwebs. Every subscriber forks over their hard earned cash to support your endeavors, plus it's easier than a big kiss :)
Chin up, Mark-we all love you and 2018 is bound to be better.
No way! The "other end of the see saw" is plenty crowded. And If you're going to read anything on The Great Pestilence that is social media, cut it down to every third word. Then they'll just sound like ninnies instead of jerks.
Quoth Mark: "I confess I'm a wee bit riddled with self-doubt these days, and I sometimes wonder about continuing with TV (and radio, and stage work)."
Pshaw! Mark has enormous natural gifts, works enormously hard, or both. His ad-lib throwaway lines -- which one hears abundantly when Mark is sub-hosting for Rush Limbaugh -- are better than other people's scripted material.
Hi Mark.
I'm one of the other untold legions who really, really appreciate all you say and do, and the way you say and do it.
Understandable if you find yourself losing heart at times - but please don't - please keep on saying what needs to be said and doing what needs to be done.
You're one of the seemingly fewer and fewer good guys (and one of the best).
America loves her Number One Undocumented Alien, what else is there to say?! You do great work, you keep people on their toes and you make us laugh! Sometimes life is simple.
Anchorman! Sorry! I doubt you're considered an Alien anymore. Or, perhaps the other kind? There were all those UFO sightings back in the last century.
I DVR'd that Tucker episode just because you were hosting. I suspect many folks did the same. First rate work there, and you should have your own show on Fox. One of the reasons that I am a member of this club is to help more of America get exposed to your work. You are a very unique advocate for conservative values, and I think you are more essential to the cause than any writer out there. You have polish, a brain, and a spine – a rare combo. Viewers feel more cultured and intelligent watching your segments, unlike many on Fox. You can deliver the red meat to the audience as well as anyone on Fox. But unlike the rest, Mark Steyn delivers a nice Pinot Noir pairing with it.
Pinot Noir? I didn't know there was Pinot Noir going around.
I know you've had a rough year and I really hate to pile on, but I really didn't care for your "merrier" version of "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas", sorry.
Mark, Without doubt your guest hosting for Tucker and Rush are excellent otherwise they wouldn't have you. But, do you ever worry about "over-exposure" or is it your wish to have your own TV show? My fear is that you will become too mainstream and we won't have the pleasure of your daily output, be it movies, song etc. I don't want life to be all political punditry.
A true fan, Michael Costello, NH
A wee bit riddled with self-doubt + a natural on the tube/wide-screen/free speech platform = a nice combination. Very effective, imo.
Isn't it? My first thought was is this the classic case of "fishing for compliments"?
Oh, no, I did not think Mr. Steyn was fishing for anything, as much as sorting out his next move(s). Options are good, and opportunities are wonderful, but after such an ordeal of the past year, I can understand self-doubts and being wary of making any decisions. Of course, like I tell my risk-averse Millennial, if you don't take a chance, you risk more than taking one and failing, and learning from the mistake. Yada-yada-yada.
The problem, if there is a problem, is that the Sub is so superior to the people he's is subbing for. Plus, the world of news/entertainment/commentary is in such a state of flux, after having collapsed (and now it all makes sense to me, post-Harvey!)
Which is a lot of words for: the year ahead may be as momentously wonderful for Mark as this past year was unpalatably awful.
Hey, the Maple Leafs are ahead 3-0 against the Coyotes. At least Las Vegas (a brand new team) is no longer #1 in their division. That one smelled funny.
Oh, got it. Sure. i'm just not getting the self-doubt. Geez! It's like a comet telling itself "I don't know where i'm going." Hells bells! Just hang in and enjoy the ride, I would say. A lot of people down on the ground will get a kick out of just spectating.
There are times when I have a lot of self-doubt and most people would be surprised to hear it. It's maybe not self-doubt as much as wondering if you can really achieve what you set out to do. If you are a self-starter, that sort of thinking comes with the territory. Setting the bar high means having to keep your own measurements, and that work is hard to do. You have to go on faith, and sometimes you wonder if it's an illusion.
Especially when too many people get their kicks stomping on a dream. (A slight nod to Francis Albert)
Good insight there, Debra. But if you surround yourself with your people, and you believe in them and they believe in you, I think you got a good foundation on which to build. Nobody can predict the future anyway. Too, there's risk we all take in achieving anything worthwhile. If it's not worth taking a risk, then maybe we've already thrown in the towel.
Ah, but if a person surrounds herself with only people who agree with her (and the worst case scenario is Crooked H, or CH as she is now called!), then she is in an echo chamber. On the other hand, the wall of negativity -- all around you -- can convince you that you are slowly, or quickly, losing your mind. I've been there!
The goal, at least for me, is to listen but not get upset by criticism and then be able to take the kernels of truth from even the worst kinds of scathing verbal abuse. Sometimes I have learned more from my detractors than any admirers. The help was unintentional but there's a gift in every pile of you-know-what. That's the optimist in me!
PS Fran, yes, you are right, we all need that positive feedback -- and during these times of people attacking mere thoughts -- those kind words of affirmation are treasured. I've sadly discovered during the last 10-15 years that like-minded people are all spread out, dispersed, for any of a number of reasons.
"Community" used to be an actual physical place, not a voting bloc.
Right, now a community of people is hard to find. Everyone has children who move all over the place. Not many end up near their families anymore as the parents age. It's also a problem in that even if the family stays close the current political climate breaks even close families apart. Well, staying true to oneself, doing a lot
of self-checking of one's long term goals and personal motivations and keeping a noble heart, all of that, I think the trajectory for one's life can be good. Perhaps easier said than done, but maybe not.
I hear you. I learned a lot more from mistakes and unrealistic expectations than anything that did come easy. There probably is a good echo chamber and an evil one. The trick is recognizing the evil one early and making a mad dash for the exit. Negativity breeds negativity. Lately, I find I can control that. I definitely need to have optimists around me. That is something we have control over as well. I never used to think that. I used to think it was my dumb luck that I was surrounded my negativity. What's that saying? Something about it being a choice. Food for thought.
It's getting past my bedtime here (which is past 10 pm!!) but I wanted to say that many people in the US over the past decades have had to deal with the effects of the liberals anti-family "values" in this country. Trump as President can start to turn around the shredding of the social fabric that began decades ago, but the power really is within the Individual to stand up for beliefs cherished, to not let the fear-mongers drive wedges between all of us so that we're a society of shredded cheese-people, sliced and diced by interest group.
It's disheartening to look at a minority that is loud and destructive. Good outweighs evil and the force of truth wins in the end. We have to be valiant enough to wait for that end . . .Stout-hearted men and women, ya know.
"The problem, if there is a problem, is that the Sub is so superior to the people he is subbing for."
Perfectly (and rather tactfully) summed-up in less than 25 words, Debra.
Hi Mark. I certainly look forward to another year of seeing and hearing you on TV and radio, as well as all of your eclectic Steyn Club content! You are needed to continue shining the light into the dark corners of the world and giving us the news that others don't see fit to cover. Have a happy and blessed New Year!
Congratulations on a great week of success! I was thinking earlier today that the best TV news host and the best US radio host agree on the best guest-host to care for their brands. Another measure of their confidence was that they were doing whatever logistically necessary so you could pull off double-coverage in the same week or even the same day, not to mention Fox & Friends and Varney & Company. There's no one I'd rather listen to. I can hear those disk-jockey days on the radio, and it's easy-listening now. The fastest three hours in radio become even faster. I don't know how you do it, and I'm eternally grateful for every nanomole of your astonishing talent.
The danger for you is that you are TOO GOOD and others will not cotton to the competiton! I don't want to be accused of pandering, but you are far and away the smartest, cleverest, most entertainng guest host on either side of the border! I don't bother to tune in unless you are Rush's guest host and we are usually watching something involving a ball (my husband's choice) unless you are guest-hosting for Tucker. We have all your books (I think) and have given them as gifts, especially America Alone.
Did I mention that we are big fans?
Mark, sorry to read:
"In the age of 'social media', one mostly hears from people who loathe one, of whom, in my case, there appear to be untold legions. I confess I'm a wee bit riddled with self-doubt these days, and I sometimes wonder about continuing with TV (and radio, and stage work). So it's nice to know there are a few folks on the other end of the seesaw."
Illegitimi non carborundum. And remember that your fans, even if outnumbered two-to-one, still hold a large advantage in IQ points. It's not even close.
The "None Dare Call It Trees, Son" segment was an instant classic! #RobertETree
Mark, the untold legions of loathers is more than counterbalanced by the legions of "respecters" and "admirers". We just aren't as noisy. We love you and your inimitable wit and style. Never forget that. Please.
"I confess I'm a wee bit riddled with self-doubt these days, and I sometimes wonder about continuing with TV (and radio, and stage work)."
Rest easy Mark. We're with you! Don't give up the ship!
You did great on Rush today! Speaking of TV, I know I keep asking but when will the Mark steyn show continue? Or Steynposts? That studio was awesome and really miss the show!
That was a striking studio, I agree! I also liked seeing when snow hit the ground through that great expansive window. In contrast to where I live, desert and sand dunes, it was like taking a mini vacay.
You'd best stay on the air unless kicked off. Getting kicked off would be a powerful statement and if people had to watch most of the competition as an alternative they just wouldn't. The industry would pay.