Remember "Dieter", the fellow who spoke to Tom Wolfe in November about the red states of America like they were on another planet?

I had thought he was a resident of San Francisco. Actually, he appears to be a columnist for the Washington Post, as Tim Blair and Patrick Ruffini note.

For an earlier fisking of this out-of-touch "gorillas in the mist" style of journalism, check out James Lileks' classic "Notes From The Olive Garden" from 2002.

Update: Speaking of Lileks, he has a perfect summation of the WaPo article and the collective personality of the Blue State media it reflects:

Once upon a time the major media at least pretended that the heart & soul of the country was a porch in Kansas with an American flag. Now it’s the outlands, the Strange Beyond. They vote for Bush, they believe in God, they’d have to drive 2 hours for decent Thai. Who are these people?

Maybe what often bothers the Blue staters isn't the ire of the Maroonies; in the end, it's the relative indifference. We think of you, all right - just not as much as you think about yourselves. And probably more than you think about us. Take care; love, Red.