Talk:Jimmy Breslin/Archive 1

Archive 1

Links to Amazon?

I am questioning why the Breslin works all link to Amazon.com pages? I don't think an encyclopedia should be in the business of endorsing one commercial site over another. While I recognize that the amazon.com website has a lot of useful information about each title, such as reviews, etc., I think its appearance here is coercive. Would like to know what others think, or if there's a Wikipedia policy on this. Bruxism 19:45, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

I threw the linksin there. I figured since some of those books were pretty rare that no one would be writing on them. I can see how one can get the impression that they are an add for Amazon. Not my intention. If you want to remove them, no worries. Maybe one reference to an amazon page listing all of his books would be more appropriate?--Looper5920 05:30, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

I checked on the policy, which can be found at Wikipedia:External_links#What_should_not_be_linked_to. They recommend just linking to the ISBNs. It's a pain, but that's what they say. Incidentally, I don't think his books are that rare. I'd love to work on this page more, if I had time. He's a great writer. I'd love to read more of his work too. Bruxism 21:37, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Positions

The article should have more mentions of Breslin's positions on major issues. Things like his support of a united Ireland, abortion rights, etc.

72.82.175.2 15:30, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Pogo For President: I Go Pogo

Why isn't there any mention in the article about him providing a voice in the 1980 animated movie Pogo For President: I Go Pogo?? 67.78.176.97 16:40, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Accent?

First we're told he was born in Queens (Jamaica). Then we're told he has a Brooklyn accent. What duh f....? This needs explaining, at least for us New Yawkuhs. How'd a guy from Queens get a Brooklyn accent? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.236.111.152 (talk) 02:50, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

Strange Wikipedia effect

This page should be greatly enlarged. Jimmy Breslin, during the Sixties and Seventies, was about as famous as Conan O'Brien is now (it was still the newspaper era) and a respected stylist in both fiction and non fiction on top of that. Imagine a Conan O' Brien who also writes good novels. But all this was pre- internet, so he'll wind up in the end with a permanent entry in the encyclopedia that is shorter than Susan Boyle's or David Archuleta's. A good deal of the entry is devoted to an awful temper tantrum he had in old age. What a misleading picture of history Wikipedia gives. Profhum (talk) 07:30, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. However instead of bitching about it your best bet would be to settle in, do some research and add the neceesary info to the article to bring it up to where you think it should be. Cheers--Looper5920 (talk) 12:29, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

Changes

I added two sections, controversies and accolades in an attempt to bring the article to appropriate standards. What accolades should be added? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.242.147.135 (talk) 15:42, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

'Controversies' removed

I have removed two items from the 'controversies' section of this article. The first, relating to his comments on the death of George Steinbrenner, isn't a 'controversy' because there's no mention of anyone criticising him for it. It's just some comments he made, that's not worth noting in itself. The second, an alleged nickname he had for certain states, was removed per WP:BLP because it was entirely unsourced. Robofish (talk) 20:26, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

Incomplete Biography

The article doesn't cover when he worked for which papers. He retired as a Newsday columnist, but when did he start there? His JFK tribute ran in the NY Herald Tribune. Did he jump to Newsday when the NYHT folded? I couldn't find this out, but somebody should.

No mention of his suspension for calling an Asian female co-worker a 'yellow cur' in the early 90s?

Also: Didn’t Breslin write on occasion for the New York Times? He’s certainly listed in their archives. And no mention is made of his religious upbringing, which, I gather form an article in Salon, was Roman Catholic. Orthotox (talk) 21:12, 19 November 2016 (UTC)

Famous Quotes

Sometimes a quotation or two helps fill out a biography. I offer this as a possible addition to the synopsis window: "Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns for newspapers.” - Jimmy Breslin Orthotox (talk) 21:44, 19 November 2016 (UTC)

It would also be better to say "he called his co-worker 'a yellow cur', a 'bitch', and 'slant-eyed'"[1] than to say "he heatedly retorted with racial and sexual invective". Quoting is better than characterizing. - Nunh-huh 17:19, 19 March 2017 (UTC)

Birth year?

The birth year when you search it up on google is different from the one in the article. Daisy134 (talk) 02:16, 21 March 2017 (UTC)

@Daisy134: The New York Times gives 1928 as the birth year. – Muboshgu (talk) 03:04, 21 March 2017 (UTC)

Photo change please

I generally don't bother with the photos in Wikipedia and don't know how to substitute photo for another or anything about the copyright rules that apply. However it would be nice to have a different photo portrait of Breslin; one that showed him closer to his prime and looking more like what his contemporaries, and baby-boomers like myself, remember him as. Motsebboh (talk) 19:12, 20 March 2017 (UTC)

@Motsebboh: We can only use images that are freely available to us. – Muboshgu (talk) 03:05, 21 March 2017 (UTC)

Son of Sam letter

In one Son of Sam letter DB , refers to raped women buried behind the house “ just bones now” I have been reading all the comments , was this investigated? Marla Harrison of BC — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.180.206.142 (talk) 17:49, 24 January 2022 (UTC)