I was struck that several of the contributors to the thread about Luttwacks column decried that it had appeared as an op-edu piece in the NY Times and some of them suggested that a certain authority accrued to it by virtue of its having been published there. I wonder if it is not time to question how much authority the Times actually has today. For whom does the fact that the Times publishes an essay give it greater weight? How large is their number? Where do they live? Similar questions can be asked about the editorials that appear in the Times? How many people really care what a few people in an office in Manhattan think about anything? Would anyones vote be altered by an endorsementby the Times?Isnt it time to ask whether the Old Grey Empress is wearing any clothes?(I realize that this may count as heresy.)

Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak, professor emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York.

Also by this author
© 2024 Commonweal Magazine. All rights reserved. Design by Point Five. Site by Deck Fifty.