Andrew Marr dislikes bloggers... and bald, spotty, single, ugly people

Andrew Marr doesn't like bloggers:

"A lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed, young men sitting in their mother's basements and ranting ...the so-called citizen journalism is the spewings and rantings of very drunk people late at night."

I'm not sure why somebody's age, gender, marital status or physical appearance is relevant to their ability to do a job (Marr, let's be honest, is no Adonis). In fact, his comments are somewhat at odds with the BBC's own statement on equal opportunites:

"The BBC is committed to promoting equal opportunities for all, irrespective of colour, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origins, gender, marital/civil partnership status, sexuality, disability or age."

...Just don't be a bald, single, spotty young man if you want to work with Andrew Marr because he's having none of it.

Comments

[Christof]

Marr seeing through the looking glass at what might have been.

[Chris]

Such a criticism, apparently based purely on people's looks would be easier to take if Marr wasn't the perfect embodiment of a "face for radio". He looks like somebody has tried to make Gollum out reformed meat and plasticine.

And while that shouldn't detract from his ability to conduct pretty mundane interviews with politicians and present dull documentaries on the BBC I would like to point out he started it!

[Ravi]

Was he drunk? What an idiotic thing to say? I've always thought Marr was a bit of a poor man's Paxman but I never knew he was actually a moron.

Whether it's true or not - and I suspect this wild generalisation is miles off the vast majority of blogger - why pick on people in this way, based on their looks and financial status?

What a shame he feels so threatened, or simply so cruel towards people looking to break into a career he has enjoyed at a peak long-since gone, that he would stoop this low.

[Ian B.]

What a shame. Marr has given in to the very things he protests against - irrational attacks based on little or no fact; over-emotive one-sided vitriole and ultimately an immaturity which does neither him nor the BBC any credit as media organisations look to align themselves (and they must!) with social media and evolving channels of communication.

I happen to know the BBC staff are all being either led or pushed in the direction of social media, and wonder therefore if Marr's ungracious and childish Luddite remarks are aimed perhaps as much at his own progressive bosses as at bloggers, and what he sees as a trivialisation of his 'art'.

[A spotty blogger]

Last time I saw this high-brow political journalist - Andrew Marr - on television he was asking KT Tunstall where she gets inspiration for her songs. Fuck me! You don't EVEN need to be a social inadequate to do the lazy interviews this has-been mumbles his way through each Sunday morning.

[Deborah]

A classic ad hominem argument, surely. Disappointing from Marr.

[Brett Gerry]

Marr's comments reflect a fear not only of new technologies, but also of the erosion of privileges they encourage: http://bit.ly/bkYMd2

[A]

I guess the joke is that he also is bald.