Boy, Do I Feel Naïve ⇥ theconcourse.deadspin.com

Laura Wagner of Deadspin reacts to Joseph Bernstein’s blockbuster story for Buzzfeed on how Breitbart cultivated a destination for white supremacists, misogynists, and other scum:

Is there a word for when you feel embarrassed about your naïveté? Because I feel dumb as hell. I assumed that when [Olivia Nuzzi] and her down-the-middle cohorts wrote things like this glowing profile of Mike Cernovich in New York magazine, they went home and immediately took a hot shower to wash off the stink. I didn’t realize they were just writing about their friends.

A very charitable part of me wants to believe that none of the writers now shown to be quite cozy with Steve Bannon and his ilk were aware of the impact of being associated with Breitbart’s brand of conspiracy-tinged journamalism. But I still don’t understand why anyone would want to be associated with them in any way, particularly after the outright discriminatory, racist, sexist, and irrationally caustic articles they’re well-known for.