This is the message I sent today before jumping through a half hour of hoops to cancel my subscription:
On February 8, the Providence Journal published a column by Mark Patinkin, "Mark Patinkin reflects on past experience as Trump issues transgender athlete ban: Opinion" Incredibly, Mr Patinkin's "past experience" had nothing to do with transgender athletes. His retrograde attitude of equating transgender girls to boys and this column's lack of any citations to support his views exhibit an editorial presence at the Providence Journal that is not only sloppy but thoughtlessly spreading misinformation that is dangerous for transgender people.
His writing has always been narrow, and for many years characterized by particularly cringe-worthy misogyny. Although I still subscribe to ProJo online I usually ignore Mark, but I agree this article was a standout of ignorance, negativity, lack of respect, and just plain hatefulness. He's outdone himself - thanks for calling him out.
Great work! Thank you for debunking Patinkin's poorly researched piece. The Providence Journal is going down that awful road of bowing to authoritarianism.
I used to subscribe to the Urinal, but let it lapse and I see no reason to renew. Philip's piece perfectly summarizes all the problems with Patinkin specifically, and the Urinal in general. No responsible, ethical media outlet would publish such a misinformed and flawed piece.
I heard Patinkin speak at a program last month in which he engaged in a moderated discussion with Alison Sommers of Haaretz newspaper. The topic was post 10/7 Israel. His assumptions and generalizations about Israelis and Palestinians were so offensive I was embarrassed to be in the audience. Israelis were sane, they were victims and all in all, they were decent people. People in Gaza were all irrational, anger driven terrorists or supporters of terrorism. They couldn't be reasoned with. He saw no problem with the mass slaughter of people in Gaza which he excused as a matter of self-defense. When asked about the West Bank, his answer, in short, was that most of the Jews there were nice-only a few "bad apples"were causing problems. How this man is considered a serious journalist is beyond me. His reporting and synthesis of what he reports on is based only on what he has seen or experienced in any given moment. He does not seek information from anyone who might contradict his preconceived notions. Please join Fox News and just leave the rest of us alone Mr. Patinkin.
I saw the headline of Patinkin’s article in the ProJo and couldn’t bring myself to read it. Thanks for highlighting the unethical behavior of a writer I used to respect. Is he jumping on Trump’s band wagon of retribution for any perceived slight in his life?
I agree that Mark's column was an egregious mistake on behalf of himself and his (MIA) editors. I believe the composition of any sports team is less an issue of who is on the team than what role a good team coach needs to play. Any player using individual strengths, as opposed to what is good for the team, needs to be cautioned for unsportsperson behavior, regardless of gender identifucation. It's a game designed to teach teamwork, everybody playing by the same rules.
Thank you!
This is the message I sent today before jumping through a half hour of hoops to cancel my subscription:
On February 8, the Providence Journal published a column by Mark Patinkin, "Mark Patinkin reflects on past experience as Trump issues transgender athlete ban: Opinion" Incredibly, Mr Patinkin's "past experience" had nothing to do with transgender athletes. His retrograde attitude of equating transgender girls to boys and this column's lack of any citations to support his views exhibit an editorial presence at the Providence Journal that is not only sloppy but thoughtlessly spreading misinformation that is dangerous for transgender people.
I am canceling my subscription today.
I am absolutely amazed that such a poor piece of writing was published! I am not a journalist, but found mysely saying "?What?!!" over and over.
Thank you Phil, for writing this.
His writing has always been narrow, and for many years characterized by particularly cringe-worthy misogyny. Although I still subscribe to ProJo online I usually ignore Mark, but I agree this article was a standout of ignorance, negativity, lack of respect, and just plain hatefulness. He's outdone himself - thanks for calling him out.
Thank you for reading!
I don't read the Projo (even online), but I've known Patinkin was a hack for about 25 years. He's a disgrace to the profession.
great column Philip, I don't see how it could be said better.
Great work! Thank you for debunking Patinkin's poorly researched piece. The Providence Journal is going down that awful road of bowing to authoritarianism.
I used to subscribe to the Urinal, but let it lapse and I see no reason to renew. Philip's piece perfectly summarizes all the problems with Patinkin specifically, and the Urinal in general. No responsible, ethical media outlet would publish such a misinformed and flawed piece.
Well done, Philip!
I miss Bob Kerr. The corporate owners let him go and kept Mark Patinkin, maybe because he writes in support of management rights.
I heard Patinkin speak at a program last month in which he engaged in a moderated discussion with Alison Sommers of Haaretz newspaper. The topic was post 10/7 Israel. His assumptions and generalizations about Israelis and Palestinians were so offensive I was embarrassed to be in the audience. Israelis were sane, they were victims and all in all, they were decent people. People in Gaza were all irrational, anger driven terrorists or supporters of terrorism. They couldn't be reasoned with. He saw no problem with the mass slaughter of people in Gaza which he excused as a matter of self-defense. When asked about the West Bank, his answer, in short, was that most of the Jews there were nice-only a few "bad apples"were causing problems. How this man is considered a serious journalist is beyond me. His reporting and synthesis of what he reports on is based only on what he has seen or experienced in any given moment. He does not seek information from anyone who might contradict his preconceived notions. Please join Fox News and just leave the rest of us alone Mr. Patinkin.
His columns about Israel/Palestine have been awful.
I saw the headline of Patinkin’s article in the ProJo and couldn’t bring myself to read it. Thanks for highlighting the unethical behavior of a writer I used to respect. Is he jumping on Trump’s band wagon of retribution for any perceived slight in his life?
Thanks, Phil! Moral clarity and a healthy dose of deserved shade, appreciate your thoughts on the subject of hack journalism and bigotry
Thank you for reading and for these kind words, Dave.
"He's a hack." Perfectly sums up what Patinkin has devolved into.
I agree that Mark's column was an egregious mistake on behalf of himself and his (MIA) editors. I believe the composition of any sports team is less an issue of who is on the team than what role a good team coach needs to play. Any player using individual strengths, as opposed to what is good for the team, needs to be cautioned for unsportsperson behavior, regardless of gender identifucation. It's a game designed to teach teamwork, everybody playing by the same rules.