The Knight Also Falls (Jim)

What I really hate about writing this is that I'm afraid I'm going to hurt someone's feelings.

Not Robert Knight's feelings. I don't give a damn about his feelings.

I do, however, give a damn about Ruth's feelings.

Ruth is Every Grandma.

If you're lucky, she's the grandmother you had. If you're not, she's the grandmother you wished you'd had.

When Helen Thomas was being attacked, I was offended both because of her body of work and because of her age. The latter didn't excuse her from attacks but did, I thought, mean they could take a little more care with their wording even if they loathed her. I marveled over Ava and C.I.'s ability to strongly (and rightly) defend Helen Thomas without ever raising the age issue (see "Media: Let's Kill Helen!").

Ruth is very much a part of this group. And I feel like acknowledging her age, writing about it, is going to make her wonder about where she fits in the group because she has expressed those concerns before.

Friday, I was among those working the public account of The Common Ills and I seemed to be hitting the motherload with one cranky media type after another. Some were whining, two were cursing, and I responded in kind. I found it amusing that they were so upset with C.I. Then I came across Robert Knight's e-mail.

That didn't amuse me.

His rudeness to and about Ruth didn't amuse me.

Now not only do I believe that Ruth's age should mean a certain tone, I also know damn well that Ruth's done more to promote radio programs in the last six years than pretty much anyone else.

That includes Robert Knight's past work, Ruth had championed it. He was familiar with Ruth's previous work as well as the work of C.I. I know that due to the e-mails that have come in from him. (He needs to learn to count because he undercounts the number of times he's e-mailed The Common Ills. Not only does Jess keep a count of all the media types e-mailing, since 2005, he's also printed up every one of the e-mails for this site and C.I.'s.)

It wasn't just that his e-mail was rude and nasty, it was that he rendered Ruth a non-person.

That's how he thanks someone who endlessly praised him?

I think Betty captured it very well in her "Sick of the beggar media."

The ingratitude and the expectation that you will forever assist those who demand your assistance are really the hallmarks of the one-way Beggar Media.

I'm not someone who goes around asking people I don't know personally for favors so maybe I just don't understand the protocol but from where I sit, Beggar Media thanks throwing around orders and never offering thanks is how you make your mark.

Robert Knight showed his ass last week. I'm not in the mood to be mooned again. He's dead to this site (excepting only a piece by Ava and C.I.).

For Ruth's take, see "Robert Knight is upset."