"Football, after all, is the most distinctively American sport; and baseball, although popular in some Asian and Latin American countries, is a close second. To people in most of the world's countries, except Greece, Obama might as well be speaking Greek when he talks about 'singles' and 'doubles' and 'home runs.' Then again, Obama himself got a bit confused. He said he'd 'stick to baseball,' then proceeded to stick to football, or maybe switch to basketball. In the last two sports, teams on offense 'advance the ball'; in baseball, it is the offensive player who advances from one base to the next. 'Put the ball in play' is, however, a baseball term."
Says James Taranto.
ADDED: Also at that link, I liked this:
Life Imitates the Onion
"Woman a Leading Authority on What Shouldn't Be in Poor People's Grocery Carts"--headline, Onion, May 1
"The Campaign for Junk Food: Michelle Obama on Attempts to Roll Back Healthy Reforms"--headline and subheadline, New York Times, May 29
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26 comments:
We've hit a moment of extreme media irrelevancy - again.
Strange how that happens,...
What a riot! The Onion's expert proposes that instead of buying TV dinners, the woman in line in front of her should be buying two whole chickens and a bag of potatoes ... she and Moochelle must be using two different sets of scientific data.
Obama said, "I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; it is our willingness to affirm them through our actions. (Applause.) And that’s why I will continue to push to close Gitmo -- because American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders. (Applause.) That’s why we’re putting in place new restrictions on how America collects and uses intelligence -- because we will have fewer partners and be less effective if a perception takes hold that we’re conducting surveillance against ordinary citizens. (Applause.)"
The Onion really is "America's Finest News Source."
There were two things that struck me about that post-speech interview:
1) The frequency of self-references.
2) He kept referring back to his speech as if he was referring to someone else's speech. He didn't try to clarify or expand on the thoughts he was trying to convey, but focused on the words he already said, like he was analyzing someone else's written document. I don't think this guy knows what the hell he was trying to say.
"Some say I have advanced the ball to home plate, others argue that my kickoff fell short of the net, but I assure you, when my dunk finds the sand trap instead of the end zone, I will be looking for someone's ass to kick, the puck stops here!"
Michelle's healthy school lunch Crusade is just that. Instead of F'ing with the lunches of poor kids, stuck in a school cafeteria, she ought to join the PTA at Sidwell Friends and get her daughters lunches under control, unless you think she is sending them off with brown bags...
By contrast, the prestigious Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., where many politicians have sent their children to school, serves school lunches designed by chefs. This week, for example, they might enjoy meatball subs, BBQ wings and ice cream, in addition to chicken curry, deviled egg salad and the “Chef’s Choice.” Other options on the exclusive menu include:
◾Crusted tilapia
◾Herb roasted chicken
◾Pesto cream & garden-fresh marinara sauce
◾Roasted edamame & Shitake mushrooms
◾BBQ sliders
◾Pesto pasta
◾All-natural rosemary chicken
◾All-natural beef nachos
◾Baked three-cheese lasagna
◾Pepperoni flatbread pizza
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/05/141806-public-school-kids-eat-healthy-lunches-obama-girls-dine-lunches-designed-chefs/
In college, I took an anthropology elective called "Sex, Gender, and Language." The professor explained, with no hint of irony, that the use of sports metaphors such as speaking of someone being "out in left field," or "knocking it out of the park," were sexist because they were geared toward men's understanding.
I found myself wondering exactly how stupid she thought women were not to understand the examples that she gave.
I'll try it another way:
White people will talk about anything.
Fox News Channel is anxiously awaiting the start of Shinseki's meeting with Obama. They won't have cameras there. They're just awaiting the announcement that Obama and Shinseki are meeting.
Obama is looting the stores after the victory.
I don't understand why Obama said he would "continue to push Gitmo". Was his entire staff so tone-deaf that nobody said that would sound like he was weak and ineffective? Did someone say that if he did not mention Gitmo in his speech, people would be wondering why?
IMHO, if Obama went through the remainder of his term and never mentioned Gitmo, nobody would complain.
That Onion story, like many of them, could easily be a real transcript. It lands.
The Drill Sgt @ 8:09,
Well put, but so depressing. I don't resent the options available at Sidwell Friends, but I do resent the rest of us being lectured by a person, indeed Hectored, by someone who has opted out of the object of their lecture for her own children.
For me, arrogance of this sort implies an ugly mind.
The Crack Emcee @ 8:18,
That's very true. Also true of yellow, brown, red, and black people. Did I miss anybody?
I can't wait for the track metaphor when the dude in the dress hands off the baton to the old woman with sensible shoes.
Fluff trumps tough.
As usual.
"In college, I took an anthropology elective called "Sex, Gender, and Language." The professor explained, with no hint of irony, that the use of sports metaphors such as speaking of someone being "out in left field," or "knocking it out of the park," were sexist because they were geared toward men's understanding."
They are just about exactly as gendered as fashion and sewing analogies and metaphors. Imagine a teacher who continually tried to explain abstract concepts by referring to seaming on the bias, darts (of the clothing type), gussets and so forth.
Depending on how it's done, it can be inconsiderate to habitually use sports metaphors. It feels exclusionary to some, so why do it? It's not the sort of thing that should lead to a sex discrimination lawsuit, but those who speak to general audiences should be aware of this problem.
If you want to influence people, you might want to limit your use of sports metaphors.
As a woman, when I hear a man relying on these football and baseball metaphors (even though I watch games in both sports and easily understand them), I think: 1. Boring clichés, 2. This guy is trying to hard to seem masculine, and 3. He's either sure women will like him or doesn't care much whether we do.
The Crack Emcee: White people will talk about anything.
CWJ: That's very true. Also true of yellow, brown, red, and black people. Did I miss anybody?
Yeah, you missed The Crack Emcee. He won't talk about anything, he'll only talk about one thing.
Except Obama sucks at throwing a baseball. Only 50 Cent managed to throw even worse opening day pitch than our president.
CWJ - apparently black people only talk about race, even when it is totally irrelevant to the current topic.
Ann Althouse said...
As a woman, when I hear a man relying on these football and baseball metaphors (even though I watch games in both sports and easily understand them), I think: 1. Boring clichés, 2. This guy is trying to hard to seem masculine, and 3. He's either sure women will like him or doesn't care much whether we do.
5/30/14, 10:15 AM
In this case, I believe it is very much #2.
Reading this blog was once a thimble pleasure.
How typically narrow-minded. I would be very interested to learn mode about sewing, and if it were cooking metaphors I'd be right there. In any case I would think it cute.
Why are you so always vicious and hostile? In the real world you would quickly be reduced to silence. The worst thing that ever happened to you in your whole life, aside from learning your son was gay, was when your father burned that money. Maybe that's why you like Crack, you're both whiners.
The professor explained, with no hint of irony, that the use of sports metaphors such as speaking of someone being "out in left field," or "knocking it out of the park," were sexist because they were geared toward men's understanding.
I bet it really makes her want to burn her bra when people use physics metaphors like "energy" or "momentum."
Obama's presidency has been a series of reverse Ks and dropped third strikes.
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