Tough Situation. But Write Better About It.

Three things bug me about this article on TNR online. First off, I simply do not buy some of the arguments. What is happening in the Gulf Coast is tragic. That said, there is a level of self-indulgence in this piece that strikes me as being off. I cannot pinpoint it, but there are several lines that just rub me the wrong way. Secondly, how the hell can any self-respecting decades-long denizen of the Deep South call the University of Mississippi "Old Miss"? It's "Ole Miss," and yes, the difference is huge. Finally, and maybe most bothersome of all, how can a New Orleans resident who began his career in journalism as a reporter in the Big Easy and who apparently still lives there misspell "Mardi Gras"? And how can his editors not notice these rather glaring mistakes?