Sure, you can get a column at the Washington Post simply by marrying Ben Bradlee–but apparently you can’t keep it forever. At least not if it’s as awful as Sally Quinn’s weekly pile of drivel known as “The Party.” Word has now come that the Post, mercifully, has euthanized the column after a few brief months of life.
Quinn described “The Party” as being about “getting everyone together to have a memorable time.” Your guests would leave feeling “uplifted, affirmed and embraced.” I described it as the worst column in the history of humanity. Among the issues covered by Quinn were whether a husband and wife should be seated together at dinner parties and the “spirit of entertaining.”
The decision to kill “The Party” seems to have been taken after Quinn’s column last Friday. “I’m going to discuss a drama unfolding in our family, and I’m discussing it only because others have made it public and messy,” she wrote. “It’s a conflict that I hope readers can understand — and avoid in their own lives.”
And what was the high drama tormenting her family? Quinn continued:
Our son Quinn Bradlee is marrying Pary Williamson in Washington on April 10. My husband’s granddaughter Greta Bradlee is getting married the same day in California.
In the past few days there have been a spate of negative stories, both online and in print, about the “dueling weddings.” It’s been hurtful to all four of these wonderful young people. This “dueling” characterization couldn’t be further from the truth.
The unfortunate result of the dates being the same was an inadvertent mistake on my part.
Quinn went on to explain in great detail her mistake and her anguish — believe me, you don’t care to know — and so readers of her column will now be sure in the future to double check dates before scheduling weddings for their children. That’s what they call “public service” journalism.
The wedding column apparently was too much even for Post management, and the decision was made to kill “The Party” before the newspaper suffered further embarrassment.
So, so long Sally. You will not be missed.
