Hathos

A reader writes:

I clicked. You Bastard! I did it. I couldn't help myself. Some nights I tune in to Olbermann just to see how long I can last. I almost never make it past the countdown segment.  "Which one of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?" Hmm ... none. Has he ever had a guest with a contrary view on that show?  Someone who supported the war, or still does? It's pure echo chamber. It's not just the content that turns me off, it's the smarmy, yuk-yuk tone of the thing. You can talk about Iraq and Afghanistan in the same way you talk about Paris and Britney, but then you shouldn't complain when people think you're a bit of a clown.

Also, maybe you can confirm one of my suspicions. I watch Chris Matthews all the time. Whenever I see those two on the same set (election night, state of the union, etc.), Matthews has his arms crossed and this pained look on face like, "Why do I have to sit next to this guy?" Am I "projecting" Andrew? What's the deal there?

As for Beck, I don't watch him either. His network airs Nancy Grace. No point in encouraging them.

I have no inside information on Chris Matthews' relationship, if any, with Keith Olbermann. The reader notes, however, an interesting and common phenomenon. Call it "hathos", as someone I can't recall once coined. Hathos is the attraction to something you really can't stand; it's the compulsion of revulsion. I feel that way about Bill O'Reilly. Hannity is just evil. Grace is unwatchable past two minutes. O'Reilly, however, is compelling in some mysterious way. I need a fix every now and again - and not just of the turkey wobble neck. You find yourself watching him the way you sometimes smell your own farts: it's disgusting, but you can't help yourself.