Althouse: I don't know what to do with this story.

April 20, 2013

I don't know what to do with this story.

It makes me want to laugh. But it's wrong to laugh.

72 comments:

Oso Negro said...: Hey, do we really care if they sing "Polly Wolly Doodle"? If it helps them feel better right now, bless their little Yankee hearts.; 4/20/13, 9:00 AM
David said...: Maybe they should be playing "Coming to America" instead.; 4/20/13, 9:06 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Laugh if you want, there is nothing wrong with that.

Having said that, could you explain why it makes you want to laugh? I'm not getting it.; 4/20/13, 9:07 AM
edutcher said...: Maybe they ought to be singing, "Dixie", because you don't see any of this down there.; 4/20/13, 9:11 AM
Titus said...: We "sheltered in place" yesterday.

Who came up with the term "shelter in place"?

Was there a committee who created a toolbox of terms and this was one of them?

I don't get how that story is that funny Althouse?; 4/20/13, 9:12 AM
chickelit said...: Althouse gets the same chuckle I get when someone mocks "My Dinner With Andre."; 4/20/13, 9:12 AM
Phil 314 said...: could you explain why it makes you want to laugh?

Neil Diamond: not cool

(Bob Dylan: cool. What would be the "cool" substitute for Boston?); 4/20/13, 9:15 AM
Mogget said...: Eh, we haven't "seen any of this down here" yet. Yet. It will come. Those two were far too successful to be ignored by the rising stars of the jihad community. And the govt will do its best to lull us back into our sense of secure invincibility behind the strong authoritarian arms of various security organizations. Time is all that stands between the South and "that sort of thing."; 4/20/13, 9:16 AM
Phil 314 said...: More Boston "not cool"; 4/20/13, 9:19 AM
Sydney said...: Bless his heart.; 4/20/13, 9:19 AM
Sydney said...: ..could you explain why it makes you want to laugh? I'm not getting it.

Because for celebrities, everything's about them.; 4/20/13, 9:21 AM
MisterBuddwing said...: ::shrug:: Not a Neil Diamond fan, but I like some of his recordings.

But boy, aren't we getting old...; 4/20/13, 9:21 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: ... I don't wanna be right.; 4/20/13, 9:22 AM
JAL said...: Mogget said...
Eh, we haven't "seen any of this down here" yet. Yet. It will come. Those two were far too successful to be ignored by the rising stars of the jihad community. And the govt will do its best to lull us back into our sense of secure invincibility behind the strong authoritarian arms of various security organizations. Time is all that stands between the South and "that sort of thing."

Well, yes. We are not invincible.

But we have more CCWs.

So, yes. I guess. Quicker route to the 72 raisins.; 4/20/13, 9:22 AM
chickelit said...: Phil 3:14 said...
Neil Diamond: not cool
Bob Dylan: cool.

Bob Dylan was a Midwestern kid who went to NYC = cool.

Neil Diamond was a NYC kid who appeals to decent Midwestern people = uncool.

And they both stir the progressive stew.

That should about cover it.; 4/20/13, 9:25 AM
Darrell said...: Maybe Cherry, Cherry will help Barack get over his butthurt over his failed gun bill.

She got the way to move me, Cherry
She got the way to groove me, Cherry Baby
She got the way to move me, All right
She got the way to groove me, Cherry
She got the way to groove me...; 4/20/13, 9:26 AM
Barge118 said...: I get that Neil is "thinking it is all about him". However, he is not wrong in that for Boatonians, that song has come to be a powerful sense of the "Bostonian" identity and is meaning to Boston folks when sung or played by others around the country.; 4/20/13, 9:27 AM
Sydney said...: Do they play that song at Red Sox games because it was written with Caroline Kennedy in mind?; 4/20/13, 9:31 AM
Hagar said...: So,

Did Kim Young'un fire off his missile, and how did that go?

Is the Assad regime still holding on in Syria?

Who are those "whistleblowers" in the Benghazi affair, and what are they saying?

What is new in the Dr. Gosnell trial?

Etc.; 4/20/13, 9:32 AM
edutcher said...: sydney said...
Do they play that song at Red Sox games because it was written with Caroline Kennedy in mind?

Prolly.

The Massholes really are.

Mogget said...

Eh, we haven't "seen any of this down here" yet. Yet.

I can't see the Johnny Rebs putting up with it like that.; 4/20/13, 9:34 AM
Darrell said...: ...the song got its start at Fenway Park thanks to Amy Tobey, who was the ballpark’s music director from 1998 to 2004. She was responsible for choosing the music to be played between innings and picked Sweet Caroline simply because she had heard it played at other sporting events.

At first, Tobey played the song at random games sometime between the seventh and ninth innings, and only if the Red Sox were ahead. Tobey considered the song a good luck charm and it soon became something the fans anticipated.

But it wasn’t until 2002, when John Henry’s group bought the Red Sox, that Sweet Caroline become an official Fenway tradition. That’s when the new ownership requested that Tobey play the song during the eighth inning of every game.
http://www.bostonspastime.com/sweetcaroline.html; 4/20/13, 9:35 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: If they want cool, they should go with Dirty Water by The Standells.; 4/20/13, 9:37 AM
Unknown said...: And Neil Diamond didn't include any coded edgy gay subtext, so there's no ironic redeeming quality.; 4/20/13, 9:37 AM
Darrell said...: And Neil Diamond didn't include any coded edgy gay subtext, so there's no ironic redeeming quality.

Maybe not gay, but certainly bi.

But now I look at the night
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two; 4/20/13, 9:45 AM
chickelit said...: What is new in the Dr. Gosnell trial?

Dr. Gosnäll's enablers dodged a bomb this week.; 4/20/13, 9:47 AM
Barge118 said...: Thanks, Darrell.

Caroline is just something that has come to have a special meaning in Boston. Perhaps it has not (or does not) translate well outside of New England. But it is something that is a positive connector for people in the Boston area and is an instant reminder of positive, community feelings here in the Boston area.

Maybe a lt
Title bit like "Eyes of Texas" would be for non-Aggie Texans.; 4/20/13, 9:48 AM
Ann Althouse said...: What's funny to me is the newspaper's scrambling to find another angle on the story they've been covering and covering for many days. It's an absurd desperation.

Laughing at Neil Diamond, per se, isn't worth doing. Click my Neil Diamond tag if you want to see how I've treated him over the years.; 4/20/13, 9:50 AM
Barge118 said...: Titus. Shelter in place yesterday in Boston was the first time I'd heard this used (on the radio bulletins here). It does have a very useful feature in that it is a pretty clear instruction and conveyed well the idea that if you we're away from home, the authorities did not want you to leave your location and return home. It said "stay where you are".; 4/20/13, 9:52 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Okay, I can see the amusement factor. Amusing, but still much better than the dreck that they've been filling the airwaves with non-stop since Monday.; 4/20/13, 9:56 AM
Darrell said...: the authorities did not want you to leave your location and return home

Who died and made them Pope? Yeah, I'll stay out for 12 hours because I went grocery shopping. Whatever you say.; 4/20/13, 9:57 AM
Unknown said...: What's funny to me is the newspaper's scrambling to find another angle on the story they've been covering and covering for many days. It's an absurd desperation.

Agree with that. Although we're all cupable, myself included. Demand, meet supply.; 4/20/13, 9:57 AM
Barge118 said...: Heh. I agree with Anne. The newspaper story on Neil was bizarre. The song may be meaningful, but the story was farce.; 4/20/13, 9:57 AM
Barge118 said...: Well...the "who died and made them Pope" response would likely be something like "two young ladies and an eight year old boy".; 4/20/13, 9:59 AM
gemma said...: Funnier still is John Kerry who talked about the Yankee's game where they sang, in support of Boston "Sweet Adelaine". The man is a genius I tell you - and such a Red Sox fan. With him at the helm how could we be steering in the wrong direction?; 4/20/13, 10:02 AM
Wince said...: It makes me want to laugh. But it's wrong to laugh.

I always considered the "Diamond in the Ruff" sing-a-long schmaltz factor the reason the song was adopted by the Fenway crowd in the first place.

Laugh!; 4/20/13, 10:05 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: They could go with the Dropkick Murphys' I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Although the lyrics might hit a little close to home for some of the bombing victims:

...
I'm shipping off
To find my wooden leg
I'm a sailor peg
And I lost my leg
I climbed up the topsails
I lost my leg
I'm shipping up to boston

I'm shipping off
To fing my wooden leg; 4/20/13, 10:06 AM
Tim said...: People are remarkably shallow.

Seriously.; 4/20/13, 10:06 AM
Tim said...: They play Journey's "Lights" at AT&T and Candlestick Park after Giants and Niner games.

Those, at least, are about San Francisco.

Who the hell is "Sweet Caroline," and what does she have to do with Boston?

And if the answer is, "Caroline Kennedy," well, that's really, really pathetic.; 4/20/13, 10:12 AM
Thinking Badger said...: BUM..BUM..BUM!; 4/20/13, 10:13 AM
Barge118 said...: Sweet Caroline. Maybe the best thing to explain it is just to watch this clip of a Red Sox game where it is being sung. It's just a happy song sung at Red Sox games which the whole city has now embraced. No need to out-think this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBoWZPdPCoA; 4/20/13, 10:23 AM
Anonymous said...: In the hidden chamber of Diamond Manor the pensive Neil Diamond waits silently by the Diamond Phone. It is Boston: the Calls Will Come. They will ask of his feelings as his Song of Inspiration is used again to Comfort and Soothe the city. Does he Understand the Power of his Melody?

Neil Diamond nods his head gently to these silent questions, his eyes half closed in the direction of the Diamond Phone. "I am Ready," he whispers.; 4/20/13, 10:25 AM
Barge118 said...: exactly, betamax3000. exactly.; 4/20/13, 10:28 AM
Darrell said...: Thanks for your concern, Barge, but I'll take my chances. You do know that they ordered Dunkin' Donuts to remain open, don't you? The powers=that-be don't think they need protecting or are important? Or did they drive the employees there? Do stay where you are, Barge. Do whatever they tell you to do. If the little pricks had balls they would declare martial law and not just extend their authority beyond what the law allows. But that would go on their permanent record.; 4/20/13, 10:29 AM
Darrell said...: And nothing that dates back to 1998 at the earliest can mean that much to anyone. Except ol' Barge.; 4/20/13, 10:31 AM
Barge118 said...: Darrell.

No hard feelings.

Best, Barge.; 4/20/13, 10:35 AM
JAL said...: There are some other good Boston songs (I am trying to find one but can't remember the name-- something about Boston in the summer, or spring or something). Heard it on one of the talk shows after the bombing.

If they like it -- let them have it. Me? I thought this was impressive. Lots of guys at hockey games, so you really get a different feel.; 4/20/13, 10:45 AM
Titus said...: Did suspect number 2 pinch a loaf and piss in the boat?

Or maybe even jerky jerky?

He was there all day.

There must be loaf remnants. Were they taken as evidence?; 4/20/13, 10:50 AM
Darrell said...: Buy the boat, Titus. The price may even be right.; 4/20/13, 10:52 AM
Barge118 said...: Dear Jal.

Yep. Lots of Boston people trying to find a way to connect. Singing is such a great way to do it.; 4/20/13, 11:04 AM
Darrell said...: I had baked beans yesterday.; 4/20/13, 11:05 AM
Barge118 said...: Darrell. Ha. Baked beans is good too...; 4/20/13, 11:08 AM
Darrell said...: I would hve had Boston Cream Pie, too, but I prefer my pies not to be cakes. So I had a Dunkin' Donuts raspberry-filled Bismark.; 4/20/13, 11:12 AM
Phil 314 said...: Let's face it, Boston is cool.; 4/20/13, 11:24 AM
Meade said...: Darrell said...
"Buy the boat, Titus."

One of the two best days of Titus's life.; 4/20/13, 11:27 AM
MisterBuddwing said...: I'd like to think there are at least a few boat owners out there who were happy the day they bought the boat, happy when they owned the boat, and pretty sad the day they sold the boat.; 4/20/13, 11:38 AM
Darrell said...: One of the two best days of Titus's life

Someone at Ace yesterday said the two happiest days in a boatowner's life are they day he gets it and the day the police riddle it with bullets and the insurance company totals it out. Well, he said something like that and I made it better.; 4/20/13, 11:55 AM
dc said...: So why would a song about a "slightly retarded trust fund princess" bring comfort to Bostonians?; 4/20/13, 12:23 PM
Original Mike said...: God, I hate that song.; 4/20/13, 12:27 PM
Dejan Lazarev said...: I quit working at shoprite and now I make $65-85h. I'm working online! My work didn't exactly make me happy so I decided to take a chance on something new… After 4 years it was so hard to quit my day job but now I couldn't be happier. Here's what I do, Wow55.com; 4/20/13, 12:40 PM
Darrell said...: Call Homeland Security. Report a suspicious Dejan. We won't be fooled again.; 4/20/13, 12:49 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: "Officials Find Empty Sidewalks Make Maintenance Assessment Easier"

"Home Renovation Planning Uptick During Boston Shelter In"

"Dogs Bark Less Wtih Owners Home As Boston Shelters In"

"Boston Cop to Use Overtime Pay to Fund Backyard Bombing Memorial Garden"

"Excessive Parakeet Molting in Boston Blast's Audible Radius"; 4/20/13, 12:59 PM
Darrell said...: A man "Boston Sheltering In" was lying in bed looking at the stars when he wondered "Hey, where the Hell is my roof?; 4/20/13, 1:03 PM
ken in tx said...: I have been to Boston plenty times—it's mostly Russians up there, you know. I don't understand what 'Sweet Caroline' has to do with Boston. Neil Diamond records weird songs in any case.; 4/20/13, 1:12 PM
Darrell said...: A man stuck in a Boston bookstore when authorities ordered everyone to "Shelter In Place," asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said "If I told you," to the man, "It would defeat the purpose."; 4/20/13, 1:13 PM
Astro said...: Yeah, what gemma said.

The State Department has officially renamed the song 'Sweet Adeline'.

Heh.; 4/20/13, 1:23 PM
rcocean said...: Neil Diamond, Boston, and the Red Sox all deserve each other

I'm sure the bombers loved Diamond's "Coming to America".; 4/20/13, 2:09 PM
rcocean said...: People have the weird idea that Boston and Massachusetts are run by 21st Century Calvin Coolidge's. In fact, its the most Irish American state in the country. Boston has had an Irish Mayor since 1884, and its voted Democrat since 1932.; 4/20/13, 2:17 PM
Sam L. said...: I feel your pain, Ann. This just hurts my soul. What the heck is going on here?; 4/20/13, 3:14 PM
gadfly said...: All because Fenway loves Caroline, dummy, but no one has ever comforted loudmouth Redsox fans and Yankee fans prefer mockery.; 4/20/13, 5:28 PM
Unknown said...: "Shelter in place" means "we are in full terrorists-on-the loose, national-media-pressured, President-watching, officer-down, full-auto, twitchy-trigger-finger, testosteroned-up, adrenalin-fueled, shoot-at-anything-that-moves mode and want you out of the way so we don't happen to shoot you and make things messier than they are".; 4/20/13, 5:44 PM
MadisonMan said...: They used to play that at PSU Home games, but banned it post-Sandusky.

Touching me, touching you.; 4/20/13, 6:45 PM
jeff said...: Hey we play it at closing time at the bar in Wichita. 20 somethings all know the words and sing along and go home happy. I'm missing the funny part.; 4/20/13, 7:36 PM