Entries Tagged 'Words' ↓

I just want to clear the air of something that is on one hand funny, but also sadly representative of the conservative movement in this country. I’m talking about the ultra right-wing’s dissociative behavior where its members continue to prove how out of touch they are with reality. FOX “News” is leading the pack with its slander and blatant lies, but more importantly the fuel it is giving to comedians everywhere. For anyone under the age of 35 who attended university or for anyone else in this world under about 30 years old (or for that matter with half a brain), the term “tea bagging” is a familiar one. FOX “News” thinks it has something to do with protesting taxation, but they better think again. Keith Olbermann, the MSNBC commentator and former sportscaster, is certainly familiar with the term and wrapped as many euphemisms as possible into this 10 minute piece the other night (so to speak).

But first, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the definition of tea bagging, here are two options to consider thanks to UrbanDictionary.com:

First: Tea bagging

The act of lowering one’s balls onto someones face, or into their mouth while they are laying down. Kind of resembles dipping a tea bag into a hot cup of water.

Second: Tea bagging

A horribly misguided attempt by the most extreme of the American conservative right to find some basic form of party unity by lashing out against everything that the Obama administration has done since entering the White House.

“The Republican tea-bagging of the White House is a glorified waste of time and effort propagated by the Fox News Network in order to boost their TV ratings.”

“Hey Bob, did you go to yesterday’s Republican Tea Bagging Protest?”

“No I didn’t, Joe, because I have a legitimate understanding of the way the economy works.”

See also: “grasping at straws”

See also: “immature hissy-fit”

UPDATE: I’m sorry, but this has just gotten the best of me and I had to include Rachel Maddow’s discussion with Air America correspondent Ana Marie Cox (really, that’s her name):

UPDATE II: I’m just so, so sorry! I have to up the ante once again as we show how Stephen Colbert Tea Bagged the Alamo or Glenn Beck or not at all… This whole thing is starting to feel like a party that Eliot Spitzer might have hosted at this hotel (but please take note that “in and out privileges are for registered guests only.”

I’m back from a mini vacation and full of inspiration to crap on some of the mainstream media sources responsible for continually providing misinformation and slacking in their duties to report the news. One of the main subjects we have discussed often is the use of words and what those words actually mean, versus what they are intended to describe when used. Last November I wrote, ‘When, in the world of words, did ‘war crimes’ become ‘policy disputes?’ and then in February I railed on Steve Kroft (of 60 Minutes) for again using the term “Islamic Insurgents” to describe the local Taliban and Al-Queda forces fighting in Pakistan. Kroft was right to classify some of the Al-Queda members as insurgents, but by definition anyone who lives in a local area is not an insurgent (i.e. most of the Taliban and Al-Queda fighters the Pakistani army and US forces are battling).

Thanks to Dan Gillmor for pointing out the latest idiocy of the Washington Post. In an article (generally a pretty good one) on torture during the Bush administration, the Post continues to use the term “harsh interrogation methods” instead of “torture”. Why, when it meets the definition of torture to a T, won’t these people just use the word?!? Something I quoted in November is well worth repeating here to emphasis this point. Glenn Greenwald, of Salon.com, wrote,

“Hence:  ”war crimes” were transformed into “policy disputes” between hawkish defenders of the country and shrill, soft-on-terror liberals.  “Torture” became “enhanced interrogation techniques which critics call torture.”  And, most of all, flagrant lawbreaking — doing X when the law says:  ”X is a felony” — became acting “pursuant to robust theories of executive power” or “expansive interpretations of statutes and treaties” or, at worst, ”in circumvention of legal frameworks.””

Does TV rot your brain? Or does your brain just shrink…? Thanks to Glenn Greenwald for today’s Quote of the Day:

“And, just as a general note:  if you watch cable television news during the daytime, you can actually physically feel your brain shrinking.”

Recently we thanked George Carlin for his straight talking and honest approach towards life. Tonight on PBS, you’ll have the opportunity to see a whole host of clips from Carlin’s career (thanks to Tim Ferriss for the link), as well as introductions and discussion from some of today’s greatest comedic minds: Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Denis Leary, Lily Tomlin, Bill Maher and others. As a part of the Eleventh Annual Kennedy Center and Mark Twain Prize, this show will undoubtedly be a hit, as you’ll see from the clip below featuring Lewis Black.

And for those of you who would like to see the original version of Carlin’s “Seven Words” act, here it is:

Unless you’ve been living in a cave or your name is on the Bush Administration’s employee roster, you may have noticed the world has been falling into financial ruin. Many of the worlds’ giant banks are failing due to bad management and the taxpayers of the world are being asked to foot the bill. US automakers are making another go at taxpayer funds this week and blaming their woes on the “credit crunch,” instead of just producing vehicles that people want to buy… Or so I thought until I read this headline in The Times: “Honda bows out as credit crunch hits Formula One.” The story header read,

“The credit crunch claimed its first victim in Formula One today when the Japanese car-maker Honda announced that it was pulling out of the sport immediately.”

All this time I thought the Big 3 were asking for US taxpayer relief because they were unable to design good cars, but it turns out their more productive cousins to the east are also being affected. But, instead of going to the Japanese government to beg for funds, they just closed their racing division. Why on earth can’t Chevy just cancel its NASCAR sponsorship and spare us the crap that dominates more households in America than any other sport AND save some money in the process. Then they might be able to retool and create a better-selling car.

However, more to the point of this post is that the term “credit crunch” no longer belongs in quotes… It has become the defacto culprit for all mismanagement, misdirection and now even psychological drama. There are now promotions worldwide for products you can buy if you’re feeling the credit crunch. Can’t afford to take the family on vacation? Feeling down and out with all of those bills piling up? How about these great credit crunch deals instead. Now, instead of paying off your credit card bills and actually saving money, you can get rid of that empty feeling in your wallet for just $19.99, plus shipping and handling.’

The uses for this term are endless, so I’m going to nominate it for word of the year for 2008. As I said earlier, hopefully 2009 won’t feel the pinch too badly…