On page 321 of President Nixon: Alone in the White House, Richard Reeves quotes President Richard Nixon's negative reaction to a White House Correspondents Association dinner:
"Every
one of the recipients was receiving an award for a vicious attack on
the Administration----Carswell, wiretapping, Army surveillance, etc. I
had to sit there for 20 minutes while the drunken audience laughed in
derision as the award citations were read....The dinner, as a whole, was
probably the worst of its type I have attended....I don't want any of
our naive staff members to give you any impression that as a result of
my going there and sitting through three hours of pure boredom and
insults, I thereby proved I was the 'good sport' and thereby may have
softened some of the press attitude towards the President. On the
contrary, the type of people who are in the press corps have nothing but
contempt for those who get down to their level and who accept such
treatment without striking back. That's one of the reasons they have
some respect for [Vice-President Spiro] Agnew [who spoke against the
media.]"
That quote of Nixon inspires me to ask a question: When
should one stand up for oneself, and when does doing so make a person
look humorless, insecure, and whiny? There are times when standing up
for oneself can earn respect, but there are times when it might not.
What should Nixon have done at that White House Correspondents
Dinner, as people were being awarded for scathing pieces about his
Administration, in his very presence? That would be pretty awkward,
wouldn't it?