Going All Twisty Faster

Via the Economist's View, I found out that a federal regulator in the Clinton administration, Brooksley Born, warned everyone in Washington that the whole derivatives thing was a ticking time bomb ten years ago. She was entirely correct, but got muzzled by Greenspan, Summers, and the rest of that aggregation of financial wizards who got us into this mess.

What got be about this piece wasn't the substance, although that was infuriating enough. No, what outraged me was the condescending tone the Washington Post writer Manuel Roig-Franzia used to describe Born. There was a ridiculously contrived theme about her handbag, discussions of how she "daintily" poured tea during the interview, suggestions that she wouldn't say "I told you so" because it wasn't ladylike, etc., etc. It was an appallingly misogynistic, and frankly demeaning, way to write about a 68-year-old professional woman discussing an issue of the greatest import.

I hope Mr. Roig-Franzia's wife/girlfriend reads this piece and then kicks his ass.