Weingarten out (retired?) at Post?

[Anonymous]

His josh bell article and the one about kids dying in cars were among the best articles I’ve ever read. (The josh bell one was later made into a picture book for kids!).

But I agree most of his humor stuff not that funny. It’s really hard to do that stuff regularly. Dave Barry and Erma Bombedk were much better and even they got tiresome.
No one remembers her, but Jean Kerr (“please don’t eat the daisies”) was great.

[Anonymous]

Thank god, he's not even remotely funny. His best article was a serious one (the devastating one that I don't even want to mention).

[Anonymous]

This one is also amazing.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/09/30/feature/a-terrible-crime-a-patient-waiting-for-a-transplant-the-tragic-redemptive-journey-of-one-heart/

[Anonymous]

No, he’s not out. I read his remarks on the comment thread to that article, and he said he’s focusing on writing long-form articles for the Post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This one is also amazing.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/09/30/feature/a-terrible-crime-a-patient-waiting-for-a-transplant-the-tragic-redemptive-journey-of-one-heart/

It’s taken from One Day.

He did more good with Fatal Distraction than most journalists do in a lifetime. Somebody should have stopped him from putting out that ridiculous piece on Indian food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, he’s not out. I read his remarks on the comment thread to that article, and he said he’s focusing on writing long-form articles for the Post.

This was said a whole page ago but people didn't want to hear that so the thread continues about how it's great he is gone. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Anonymous]

Maybe 21 years is just too long for someone to do a self-referential column. It had gotten very bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe 21 years is just too long for someone to do a self-referential column. It had gotten very bad.

It is really, really hard to come up with fresh material for that long.

[Anonymous]

Good riddance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh. I used to really enjoy his columns, about 20 years ago.

I also used to tune in to his weekly chats online.

He got progressively less funny, But it may have been a maturing a little bit and me also recognizing that he’s just a skeevy old man.

I like the calm about Joshua Bell playing the violin in the metro. But again, that’s an old column.

Basically, it was time. Heck, it’s probably way past time.

Same

Third! Man, I used to be a HUGE fan of his. Loved his chats, loved the Post Hunt, loved his vibe with Dave Barry, loved his take on the existentialism of humor.

By it's all gone downhill, and Padma Lakshmi nailed the issue: "My issue is not his performative contrarianism (though it is tedious) or that the Indian cuisines he has tasted did not please him — but that his writing, besides being racist and lazy, is simply not funny."

That "performative contrarianism (though it is tedious)" is simply genius. Old white man performative contrarianism = tedious and unfunny.

I feel the same way about Petula Dvorak...she picks the easiest things to be outrages about...performance outrage.

[Anonymous]

As long as he does journalism and not a column, I am fine. The column wasn't that funny.

[Anonymous]

Wow, if weingarten doesn’t impress you, no writing will. He’s known as one of the best feature story writers in the country and I know writers that hold him in the highest regard and think he’s a genius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, if weingarten doesn’t impress you, no writing will. He’s known as one of the best feature story writers in the country and I know writers that hold him in the highest regard and think he’s a genius.

Feature writing, yes, as many PPs have said. His humor column, 21 years in - a hard no.

[Anonymous]

Incredible feature writer; deeply unfunny columnist. He's like a barely younger version of Andy Rooney. And Andy Rooney is dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe 21 years is just too long for someone to do a self-referential column. It had gotten very bad.

It is really, really hard to come up with fresh material for that long.

The other columnists who had that space (Dave Barry, Jeanne Marie Laskas, Liza Mundy) all left before they were as stale as Gene.

At this point, I can't remember when the column was funny or engaging.

Also, I am thinking about how Jon Stewart left the Daily Show and there was much mourning, but if you've seen him since, it's clear that he left before he went the way of Andy Rooney.