Althouse: Achievements in graphic depiction.

March 13, 2019

Achievements in graphic depiction.

I'm not even sure I understand this meme but I'm retweeting it anyway. https://t.co/PTeGfTbpei
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 12, 2019

50 comments:

Kevin said...: One of the corners should clearly be:

“Orders lots of food, tells the cashier the guy two cars behind is paying.”; 3/13/19, 5:48 AM
Kevin said...: Hickenlooper, too squishy to classify.; 3/13/19, 5:55 AM
rehajm said...: Don’t they all recruit the kids school to protest McDonald’s because living wage and farting cows?; 3/13/19, 6:11 AM
Birches said...: Haha. Kamala's a cop.; 3/13/19, 6:21 AM
AllenS said...: Not pictured is the yuge gap between Biden (how hasn't said he's running) and the Fake Indian.; 3/13/19, 6:29 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Wait. Bernie is in the responsible "food at home" portion of the triangle?; 3/13/19, 6:30 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: Why is this called a "meme"?

It's a graphic.; 3/13/19, 6:37 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: We aren't going to McDonalds.

We're going to Starbucks.; 3/13/19, 6:39 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: The family is riding in a clown car.; 3/13/19, 6:45 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Interesting that they stacked the gay guy and the alleged gay guy together.

And Biden is a documented retard so this must have been graded using a curve if Slow Joe, the Irish Big Mouth, is on the top.; 3/13/19, 6:48 AM
Kay said...: Lol!; 3/13/19, 6:50 AM
AllenS said...: (how hasn't which translates to "(who hasn't"; 3/13/19, 6:59 AM
MayBee said...: What's funny is trying to picture some of these people ever taking the time to drive their own kids in the car.

I would have one point in the triangle be, "talking on phone while driving, not noticing kids yell McDonalds"; 3/13/19, 7:09 AM
MikeR said...: Uh. Well, I'm sure I don't understand it. Could someone at least try to explain it?; 3/13/19, 7:10 AM
Ralph L said...: I can't figure if the 3 Mac's means the kids are getting what they want or just screaming for it. In either case, the locations of the names are more than suspect.; 3/13/19, 7:14 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: Personally I like the quintuple conclave of bombastic 'B's...

Biden
Bernie
Buttigieg
Beto
Booker

But, if that doesn't work I suppose I'll just join the Yang gang that bangarangs while constantly banging yang in the internet gangbang.

$1000! Booyah!; 3/13/19, 7:17 AM
Fernandinande said...: Why is this called a "meme"?
It's a graphic.

Misusing the word "meme" is a meme.

Based on the meme, I'd vote for Bernie Warren, the only one with a normal name.; 3/13/19, 7:51 AM
Fernandinande said...: Could someone at least try to explain it?

It's a meme!; 3/13/19, 7:52 AM
Lurker21 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 7:55 AM
Lurker21 said...: Like Silvers's six-fold typology this can be seen as about age. Grumpy, frumpy old age at the top won't indulge the young. A selfish, self-absorbed middle age is on the left, that likewise doesn't pay the children much attention. And indulgent youth on the lower right gives the kids what they want most.

It seems to be more personality-related than policy-driven. That's why Bernie is on top with the old grouches, rather than with the indulgent ones in the lower right-hand corner. Likewise, Warren's place seems to have more to do with her age than anything else.

Harris and Klobuchar fit with the self-absorbed lower-left middle-agers. You don't expect them to take much time away from themselves and their own concerns. Beto and Booker (and Buttigieg), young-ish themselves, are obviously children on the lower right. And Hickenlooper falls right in the middle, unable to decide about anything.

You can argue about where the others should fit. Gillibrand seems too high in the graphic, too old and frumpy rather that young and frivolous or middle-aged and self-seeking. Ditto for Castro, who may be too much of a Vulcan to find a place in earthly matters. Gabbard is likewise hard to fit in. Policywise she may be closer to Biden, but she's something like half his age, yet more mature in manner than the three younger "B"s.

It sort of works as a graphic representation if you look at it that way.; 3/13/19, 7:58 AM
Darrell said...: A meme (/miːm/ MEEM ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture—often with the aim of conveying a particular phenomenon, theme, or meaning represented by the meme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices, that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate, and respond to selective pressures.; 3/13/19, 8:02 AM
Wince said...: Who are the yelling children supposed to represent? The new left base of the Democrats?

I would assume those purchasing the coffee for themselves will pull that rug out after the primaries/convention in time for the general election?

The "neo-liberals" have food at home.

So the alternatives standing in the way of left wing extremism are neo-liberals and backstabbing neo-liberals in progressive clothing?; 3/13/19, 8:02 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: MikeR said...

Uh. Well, I'm sure I don't understand it. Could someone at least try to explain it?

Imagine a scenario with a parent driving a bunch of kids in the car. The kids want to go to McDonald's, and are chanting for that. The corners of the triangle represent 3 possible responses by the parent:

1) The "responsible parent", tells the kids 'no' because they have food at home.
2) The "wanna be your friend parent", who takes the kids to McDonald's and gets them what they want.
3) The "cruel parent", who takes them to McDonald's, but instead of getting the kids what they want, just gets a coffee, then leaves.

The chart then arranges each candidate as to which type of parent they would be.

For the record, I'm number 3.; 3/13/19, 8:07 AM
Wince said...: MikeR said...
Uh. Well, I'm sure I don't understand it. Could someone at least try to explain it?

Each of the three corners of the triangle correspond to the adjacent words.

The proximity of each politician to each corner is supposed to describe their response to the kids yelling for junk food.

They could have done a much better job graphically of representing those words as labels for each of the corners.; 3/13/19, 8:09 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: I find this commentariats' lack of 'Yang' disturbing.

Who doesn't want Micky D's all the time! Well...at least till you get diabetes.; 3/13/19, 8:14 AM
Kevin said...: “Orders lots of food, tells the cashier the guy two cars behind is paying.”

“Talking to donors on phone while driving, not noticing kids yell McDonalds"

“Takes kids inside, lectures all patrons about healthy eating, then leaves without getting anything.”

There are your three corners.; 3/13/19, 8:19 AM
Henry said...: Here's a theme song for the graphic: Daddy's a Postman

When we are old we won't have poverty or destitution
We will be able to afford a nursing home or an institution
And Bernie's a postman; 3/13/19, 8:25 AM
CWJ said...: Only O'Rourke and Sanders. Interesting choices for who to represent by their first name and who not.; 3/13/19, 8:36 AM
tim maguire said...: This meme comes from a John Mulaney bit, I think the Kid Gorgeous special.

His father is driving the family to the beach and pulls into McDonald's, the kids are going crazy in the back seat thinking they're about to get McDonald's burgers, and he orders a black coffee and gets back on the road.

This is part of a larger joke about how his father was brilliantly funny but he didn't know it until years later.; 3/13/19, 8:38 AM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: YT - John Mulaney - The Comeback Kid: McDonald's Story; 3/13/19, 8:49 AM
chickelit said...: It's definitely "age before beauty" when you consider who's on top.; 3/13/19, 8:55 AM
MikeR said...: To Those who Explained: Thanks! I see it now - as someone mentioned, I didn't really notice the labels at the corners.; 3/13/19, 8:58 AM
Howard said...: Just saw the Mulaney special. Loved that his old man pulled the McDonald's coffee trick. I wish I thought of that; 3/13/19, 9:02 AM
Howard said...: Trilateral diagrams used all the time in geology.; 3/13/19, 9:04 AM
Known Unknown said...: "Why is this called a "meme"?"

Because the McDonald's "answers" are from another thing entirely, but are now being applied to Democrat Presidential candidates.; 3/13/19, 9:17 AM
Known Unknown said...: Oops. I missed the Mulaney mentions. Brutally funny stuff.; 3/13/19, 9:19 AM
Bob Boyd said...: "McDonald's McDonald's McDonald's" means Trump will eat these guys for lunch.; 3/13/19, 9:37 AM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: re-tweet by D-hack = Yay democratics in a box! Dance and scream.

The rest of us - The Bermuda triangle; 3/13/19, 10:08 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Thanks, Ignorance. Like other Mikes, I missed the point of this diagram. For that reason I’d declare it poorly made. Perhaps a Venn diagram would have been better?; 3/13/19, 10:12 AM
J2 said...: I didn't understand it either, but if Biden is at the pinnacle it's just got to funny.; 3/13/19, 10:13 AM
The Vault Dweller said...: Wait. Bernie is in the responsible "food at home" portion of the triangle?

Yeah, that was the one that was most glaringly out of place to me too. Warren I would have pushed a little bit further down but towards the orders single black coffee and leaves corner.

So doesn't this joke make Biden look the best overall? Isn't part of the underlying message that getting McDonald's is irresponsible? And people outside the Biden corner are either misleading you on what they will do, or perhaps worse yet, indulge your childish desires?; 3/13/19, 10:18 AM
gilbar said...: like, WHY can't we Just Change the Constitution, and like Elect AOC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-TL6COp3h8; 3/13/19, 10:19 AM
cubanbob said...: A passing glance at the graphic simply denotes a pyramid of stupid. Biden at the top simply denotes Obama's wisdom in choosing Biden to be his life insurance policy while president.; 3/13/19, 10:23 AM
Ralph L said...: I wouldn't put anyone in the political class in the upper half, even the few who claim it, such as Paul Ryan.; 3/13/19, 10:27 AM
Nonapod said...: I assume this is meant to be a sort of ham handed attempt at saying Biden is the "adult" in the room since he's at the apex of the triangle. I would argue that pretty much the entire Democrat party including Biden has an unrealistic, even childish view of what is economically feasable and sustainable. But then again I could say the same about a fair number of Republicans too. The fact that we're 20 trillion in debt and growing, with no signs of even slowing down our spending in any meaningful way suggests we haven't had "adults" making decisions in a long time. But I'm under no illusions that that's something that will change.

We're driving high speed toward a brick wall, and our choices are seem to be putting a person behind the wheel who will floor the accelerator or a person who will merely put a little pressure on it.; 3/13/19, 10:30 AM
PM said...: What's to get? It's a triangle with some names placed by using a return and space bar.; 3/13/19, 1:15 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Inslee needs his own separate corner: pulls into McD's, gets told "Sorry can't serve you anything--we're out of electricity."; 3/13/19, 1:18 PM
wildswan said...: I worked it out finally by using my fingers and studying the comments - OK, The Amy is over here, pulling through the drive-in, one black coffee and 35 forks and throws her briefing book through the window; Biden goes home for a Dad's Special tunafish sandwich; Beto gets hamburgers and ice cream cones and ketchup paks and Cokes, and recycles the bags, but they're soaked with grease. ketchup, sugar and more, so the recycle pickup leaves a note for the 35th time.

It reminds me that Brian Regan is pretty funny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC4icqvy8UQ; 3/13/19, 3:55 PM
Clyde said...: Trump would be outside the triangle in the lower right corner, just below Yang and just above "MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS!"; 3/13/19, 4:26 PM
Clyde said...: After all, Trump has actually catered with McDonald's and other fast food at the White House for the football players during the government shutdown. He's not the sort to give them Meatless Mondays, unlike some we could name.; 3/13/19, 4:29 PM