Here a Chick, There a Chick
Here a
Chick, There a Chick
The world
is in a panic over chickens. A few of these birds in Hong Kong may be
responsible for a new strain of flu that could produce a global pandemic on the
order of the one that killed millions in 1918. Or so the arriviste
chickophobes of the media are clucking. Followers of a certain feature in
Slate
, however, have long been aware of the threat posed by
chickens to humanity's health and well-being. Mark Alan Stamaty's recently
concluded comic strip, "Doodlennium," has been a lone voice in the wilderness
warning against chickens. The entire Doodlennium chicken saga is in "The
Compost." Cluck here, we mean, click here, to review the story before it's too late.
Dear Dear
Prudence
Dear Prudence, our new
advice
columnist, has been overwhelmed by the number of
Slate
sters
seeking her wisdom on a range of matters.
Slate
sters appear to
know almost nothing about how to behave in virtually any social or ethical
situation, so it is fortunate that Prudence has arrived to enlighten us. But
Prudence has a problem. Many people e-mail her wishing to comment on her comments. To publish these
metacomments in her column would create two difficulties. First, it would take
up space that could otherwise be devoted to solving additional problems of the
world. Second, it would tarnish the sheen of infallibility to which any advice
columnist is entitled--and which Prudence, among all of them, most deserves.
Our solution? A new thread in "The Fray" devoted to discussion of Prudence
and her advice. The Fray is, of course, a very cauldron of moral relativism. It
exists to be nonjudgmental. Issues can--indeed, must--remain unsettled
indefinitely. Dear Prudence, by contrast, must radiate moral absolutism and be
judgmental in the extreme. Her word is law.
--Michael Kinsley
