I brushed it off as stupid, but it also made me think. Are people enjoying the rituals, memes, catchphrases, and inside jokes around here? Do I have enough rituals, memes, catchphrases, and inside jokes?
Blogging is its own ritual, but there's also the ritual of the sunrise. As for memes, catchphrases, and inside jokes, there's... what?... men in shorts, the word "garner"...
Posts
20 comments:
Jenn writes:
Your rat drawings! I love them and have that tag bookmmarked. I don't care for real rats, but your whimsical rats have always made me smile.
So... to follow YouTube's advice... I should be pushing those rats at you all the time...
Lucien writes:
“Better than nothing is a high standard”, “Cruel Neutrality”, “Civility Bullshit”.--
LOL... "cruel neutrality"... I totally forgot...
Meade says: "How about 'and you, a law professor!'?"
Daniel writes (before I posted Lucien's comment, above):
How could you forget cruel neutrality and civility bullshit??
I can tell you exactly how: because I don't think about it until something comes up that relates to it. I don't start off looking for civility bullshit or wonder how can I be cruelly neutral now... I only look for things to write about and see what my reaction is. I think I'm authentically reacting to whatever I'm encountering, not searching to find things to use to project my brand or to create a culture.
Joe writes:
IMHO the Althouse branding is already meeting and exceeding its 'consistent delight' goals.
Keep up the good work,
Joe
Kathy from Boston writes:
I have grown to love the daily pictures of the sun rising. I am usually up around 5 a.m. and since reading your blog regularly I take notice of the rising sun from my window in the morning, reflect upon it and appreciate the incredible beauty. A good way to start the day.
Alex writes:
"Play with rituals, memes, catchphrases, and inside jokes that'll consistently delight both old and new fans." This is Trump in a nutshell. I believe that part of the reason he was so hated by the establishment GOP was that he figured out how to build a competing conservative brand which wasn't the boring, stodgy old northeastern WASP conservatism. Boat rallies, online trolling, hanging "Trump Won" banners in guerilla-style protests... the things are fun. The left has done it for decades, often as barely concealed astroturfed movements, but the right never quite caught on until Trump. What remains to be seen is if the brand has longevity, and if others can pick it up and carry it like Trump can.
K writes:
I could think of a few more terms and memes myself - reckoning, Meade, Real Housewife of Madison. But isn't this blog really a non-brand brand? Not off-brand like Kroger's "Private Selection" but non-brand or (pause, gropes for word) individual? Is that a word? What does the OED say: "obsolete, Old American?" Like those people in Appalachia who are speaking as people spoke in 17C England, this blog preserves in living amber Before America - before that fatal contact with CRT-19.
I had to look up "reckoning"!
Paul writes:
Hi Ann:
There are two that I use often that come from you:
* Better than nothing is a high standard
* Don't be a splooge stooge
Thanks
Paul
Ha ha
forgot that one!
glad you've found it *useful*
Ignorance is Bliss writes:
Let's take a closer look at those rituals, memes, catchphrases, and inside jokes...
Ha ha
I remembered 2 old ones: 1. vortex, 2. onion rings
Sarah writes:
"The other commenters got all the first ones that came to mine (especially "better than nothing is a high standard") but I would add "crunchy conservative exterior, creamy hippy love-chick center". (I may be getting the wording slightly wrong.) My mom is pretty close in age to Althouse and ever since the phrase came up I always think of her that way, too."
Hey, I found it!
Poked around at archive.org until I found a page with the banner. It was: "Crusty conservative coating, creamy hippie love chick center."
Chris writes:
Attentiveness is a theme. Be attentive to the events of the day. Be attentive even to events that aren't attracting attention, and to things not being said. Be attentive to the daily beauty of nature. Be attentive to all that happens under the sun.
There is a tag — paying attention.
FWBuff writes:
Good afternoon, Professor:
One of my favorite Althouse memes is “I’m skeptical.” Those two words have given me much to think about and laugh at through the years. They’re also quite useful in my own daily interactions.
I’m also seeing a new “mini-meme” developing with the word “flummox”. You mentioned just a couple of days ago how much you loved that word, and then, lo and behold, it shows up in the title of one of today’s blog posts!
Take care,
FWBuff
Jon writes:
The word "garner" will never be the same for me because of this blog. Every time I see it, I mentally replace it with "get." Also men in shorts.
Denever writes:
Like commenter Jon, I will never see the word "garner" without wincing and thinking of you -- which sounds awful, but I trust you know what I mean. I don't have strong feelings about men in shorts, though, so that one didn't take.
There needs to be a word for this. It's similar to an earworm but instead of a song you can't get out of your head, it's the association of a thing with a person that's forever cemented in your mind.
"Mental permalink" is the right idea, but it lacks the pithiness of "earworm." If you decide to post this comment, maybe someone will suggest a better term.
portly pirate says: "Also: Vortex and "cruel neutrality.""
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