How to have a discussion

It's kind of pathetic how often "discussion" reverts to "screaming match," particularly when the two sides are so committed to their positions that they'll ignore evidence that contradicts that position in order to preserve it. (Case in point, Congress.)

Below is a nice outline. Let's take note of it, shall we, Mr. O'Reilly?

(click to enlarge)

Quit sullying the name of feminism, Jezebel

I'm sure this will come as a shock, considering that I'm young, liberal and enjoy my news with a dash of sarcasm, but I'm a big fan of the Daily Show, and I was excited to see a new face about a month back when Olivia Munn made her debut as a correspondent. She's apparently got quite the frat-fan-boy following already, having co-hosted a show on G4 since 2006 and not shying away from some pretty base humor. Her mother may cringe, but Munn seems to be willing to do whatever for a laugh, and I can appreciate that.

But the shit hit the fan a couple weeks later when Jezebel -- a women's blog owned by the Gawker network -- published a piece accusing the Daily Show of having a "woman problem." Specifically, that the show doesn't employ enough ladies and fosters a hostile environment for the few that do work there. The Jezebel editors were apparently irked by the addition of Munn to the news show, as her aforementioned antics and natural assets (see below) landed her on the cover of magazines like Maxim and even Playboy (as opposed to, you know, respectable journalism outlets like Cosmo). Jezebel just doesn't see the humor in a popular segment on the G4 show that consists of Munn putting various objects in her mouth. (Which, you know, may be a fair point.)

A thorough read reveals that the Jezebel piece is a joke, and trades on knee-jerk feminism that is dutifully documented by Slate's Emily Gould, a former Gawker editor. (The gist: Splashy, angry-sounding, fist-waving feminist pieces fuel page views...even if the point they're making is stupid or overblown.) What's awesome is how the Daily Show and Olivia Munn have been handling it. The women of the Daily Show published a letter (written to "People Who Don't Work Here") addressing the allegations directly. True to the spirit of the show, the letter is sincere, factual and funny. Munn has a book hitting shelves today, so I'm sure she's not too upset about the media blitz around this story, but she remains cool and hilarious in the interviews she's given. Her second Daily Show segment aired last Thursday, and the Daily Show continues to do what SNL hasn't achieved in years -- be consistently funny. Welcome to the family, Olivia.

Munn's Leia costume caused something of a stir at last year's Comic-Con. I wonder why.