"There's an old saying about arguments: when you resort to ad hominem attacks, you've already lost." That's what Matt Tillotson wrote in his essay analyzing entrepreneur/gadfly James Altucher's blog post about the end of New York City and Jerry Seinfeld's weak, hypocritical rebuttal in the NY Times.
From Tillotson:
[Seinfeld wrote:] The last thing we need in the thick of so many challenges is some putz on LinkedIn wailing and whimpering, "Everyone's gone! I want 2019 back!"
Then Seinfeld broadens his attacks, insulting other parts of the country:He says he knows people who have left New York for Maine, Vermont, Tennessee, Indiana. I have been to all of these places many, many, many times over many decades. And with all due respect and affection, Are .. You .. Kidding .. Me?!
The insults are vague—too obtuse to zing. They don't resonate. Even worse: none of the insults have anything to do with whether New York City is dead forever.
Altucher drove the last nail in the coffin in his response to Seinfeld's rebuttal in the NY Post:
I don't care that Seinfeld insults me in another paper. Hey, for all the grimness of the moment, at least I inspired a once-great comedian to finally write some new jokes. By the way, my local business, StandupNY, is doing 50 free shows in Central Park this week. You're welcome to perform, Jerry, but I don't think you're in town.
