At the Crying Rat Café...

... you can talk all night.

(And remember the Althouse Portal to Amazon.)

Paralipsis.

I'm talking about paralipsis over at Facebook with my son John. He'd posted this fascinating Trump clip...

Reporter: Do you regret any of your comments about George H.W. Bush or the Bush family?

President Trump: "Thank you very much everybody." pic.twitter.com/TTJ5Q3CkRB

— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 1, 2018

... and this discussion ensued (click to enlarge and sharpen):



At that Wiktionary link:

paralipsis... A figure of speech in which one pretends to ignore or omit something by actually mentioning it.

New word, just learned: "Euhemerism."

"Euhemerism is an approach to the interpretation of mythology in which mythological accounts are presumed to have originated from real historical events or personages. Euhemerism supposes that historical accounts become myths as they are exaggerated in the retelling, accumulating elaborations and alterations that reflect cultural mores. It was named for the Greek mythographer Euhemerus, who lived in the late 4th century BC...."

I got to that Wikipedia article from Samson, where I had gone to read about the famous haircut:

[Samson] tells Delilah that God supplies his power because of his consecration to God as a Nazirite, symbolized by the fact that a razor has never touched his head, and that if his hair is cut off he will lose his strength.



Delilah then woos him to sleep "in her lap" and calls for a servant to cut his hair. Samson loses his strength and he is captured by the Philistines who blind him by gouging out his eyes. They then take him to Gaza, imprison him, and put him to work turning a large millstone and grinding corn.

I was thinking about Samson's haircut because of something I saw in an old episode of "Friends." As you may remember, I'm working my way through a box set of the complete episodes of "Friends" and I ran into the one with Chandler's third nipple, which is not the official title of the episode. After a woman with one leg freaks out at his extra body part, he has it surgically excised, and then when somebody else makes a joke, he says, "That was an obvious joke, and I didn’t think of it. Why didn’t I think of it? The source of all my powers. Oh dear God, what have I done!"

Samson, according to the Wikipedia article, is sometimes thought of as "a euhemerized solar deity," because his "name is derived from the Hebrew word šemeš, meaning 'sun,'" and that "his long hair might represent the sun's rays."

Invisible fruit that I've encountered in the last few days, reading 2 of my favorite writers.

This is from Jonathan Franzen's novel "The Corrections" (2001):

His body was what she’d always wanted. It was the rest of him that was the problem. She was unhappy before she went to visit him, unhappy while she sat beside him, and unhappy for hours afterward. He’d entered a phase of deep randomness. Enid might arrive and find him sunk deeply in a funk, his chin on his chest and a cookie-sized drool spot on his pants leg. Or he might be chatting amiably with a stroke victim or a potted plant. He might be unpeeling the invisible piece of fruit that occupied his attention hour after hour. He might be sleeping. Whatever he was doing, though, he wasn’t making sense.

This is from "Barn Burning" — published in 1992 in The New Yorker (and adapted in the current movie "Burning") — by Haruki Murakami:

Young women these days are all studying something or other. But she didn't seem the type who'd be serious about perfecting a skill.

Then she showed me the Tangerine Peeling.... On her left was a bowl piled high with tangerines, on her right, a bowl for the peels. At least that was the idea — actually there wasn't anything there at all. She'd take the imaginary tangerine in her hand, slowly peel it, put one section in her mouth, and spit out the seeds. When she finished one tangerine, she'd wrap up all the seeds in the peel and deposit it in the bowl to her right. She repeated these movements over and over again. When you try to put it in words, it doesn't sound like anything special. But if you see it with your own eyes for ten or twenty minutes... gradually the sense of reality is sucked right out of everything around you....

"It's easy. Has nothing to do with talent. What you do isn't make yourself believe there are tangerines there. You forget that the tangerines are not there. That's all."

 I find chance repetition like this satisfying. I forget that any reason for it is not there.

"The passing of the former president had raised the thorny question of whether Mr. Trump would come to the funeral."

"Senator John McCain, another stalwart of a past Republican generation, made a point of excluding Mr. Trump from his funeral in September, but Mr. Bush was known for New England gentility and seemed less likely to want to make such a statement. It is traditional for the incumbent president to speak at services for a former president, although there have been exceptions."

From "Trump Offers Praise for Bush and Will Attend the Funeral" (NYT).

I can't believe this was a question at all, let alone a "thorny question." All the living Presidents attend the funeral of a dead President. It would be an unfathomable breach of etiquette to demand that he stay away.

"The 1988 campaign was anything but kind and gentle. There was the racially charged Willie Horton ad, in which Bush attacked Michael Dukakis’s furlough program for Massachusetts prisoners."

"Bush’s opponents—and some of his friends—thought that he had cheapened himself in the bare-knuckled grasp of his young campaign manager, Lee Atwater. The opponents acted surprised, claimed they were disappointed in him, as if anyone ever got that far in the game without playing rough. (Al Gore had first gone after the furlough program, albeit without mentioning Horton, when running against Dukakis in the primaries.) Bush’s foes derided his résumé as a sort of gilded joke, reciting all the appointive offices he’d briefly held—U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Republican National Committee chairman, U.S. Special Representative to China, C.I.A. director—as if they were a string of presents meted out to some trust-fund boy who’d done nothing to earn them. In fact, Bush rose in the Party because of electoral, not appointive, politics. And he rose, curiously enough, by losing—twice, in Senate runs in a still-blue Texas, in 1964 and 1970.... Even when he tried to kick ass with the silver foot supposedly lodged in his mouth from birth, there remained an irreducible niceness to him, an appealing mixture of noblesse oblige, boy-next-door bonhomie, and parody-begging goofiness—'the vision thing.'... [K]inder and gentler was actually profound...."

From "The Irreducible Niceness of George H.W. Bush" by Thomas Mallon in The New Yorker.

Also in that article — a quote from Richard Nixon: "George is such a sweet guy."

Analyzing idiolects.

So much great stuff in that, including John Wayne not even trying to talk like Genghis Khan but just doing what I assume is the only reason they made that Genghis Khan movie, being John Wayne. Virtually everything else is actors doing a fantastic job, and Erik Singer (a dialogue coach) talks about exactly what they are doing. Personally, I dislike biopics, and I find accurate copying of speech patterns too distracting. I'd rather see documentary footage of the real person. That is, I find it impossible to put up with more than a half minute of Natalie Portman talking like Jackie Kennedy. But I like when the actor chooses some things to copy and then brings something new to understanding the famous person — like Cate Blanchett playing Bob Dylan.

AND: Here's more of Singer doing his thing (haven't watched this one yet):



IN THE COMMENTS: Ken B said:

Maybe it’s just me, but I thought Eisenberg was the best there. The others, no matter how accurate, sound like mimicry. He was playing a character and bringing out the arrogance, assorificery, and brilliance very naturally and convincingly.

I agree.

I singled out Blanchett, above, but while writing about what she did I was also thinking about how Eisenberg did Zuckerberg. It's an even better example of of what I'm talking about. Maybe I'll watch that movie ("Social Network"). I've seen so few of the movies Singer analyzes, because I don't like biopics and I love documentaries.

"The prospect of genetically eliminating crippling diseases is certainly appealing, but this promise masks a darker reality."

"First, there is a difference between genetic engineering and the extremely promising field of gene therapy, in which doctors use CRISPR technology to repair the DNA of defective nonreproductive cells -- allowing them to treat cancer, genetic disorders and other diseases. In gene therapy, the genetic changes affect only the patient. In genetic engineering, scientists alter the entire genetic structure of the resulting human being -- changes that are then passed on to future generations. Playing with humanity's genetic code could open a Pandora's box. Scientists will eventually be able to alter DNA not just to protect against disease but also to create genetically enhanced human beings. The same techniques that can eliminate muscular dystrophy might also be used to enhance muscles to improve strength or speed. Techniques used to eliminate dementia may also be harnessed to enhance memory and cognition. This would have profound societal implications...."

"Gene editing is here. It's an enormous threat" by Mark Thiessen (reprinted at Fox News, originally in WaPo).

"Unlike Unesco’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the pyramids of Giza in Egypt or the Taj Mahal in India, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity..."

"... documents elements and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. Another, Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, includes endangered elements of a culture that are at risk of fading away. Reggae, which rose to prominence in the 1960s, often celebrates Jah, or God; ganja, or marijuana; and Ras Tafari, also known as Haile Selassie, the former Ethiopian emperor, whom Rastafarians revere as the messiah. It is also meant to put listeners in a calm groove."

From "Reggae Music Is Added to Unesco Cultural Heritage List" (NYT).

I'd never noticed the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, and it's interesting to think that part of humanity's cultural heritage involves putting us humans in "a calm groove."

What else is on that list — and what else has gained this stature by putting us in a calm groove? Here's the Wikipedia article about the list. It says there were 429 things on the list as of 2017.

Also on the list: Oxherding and oxcart traditions in Costa Rica, Cultural Space of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella, Opera dei Pupi (Sicilian Puppet Theatre), the Hudhud Chants of the Ifugao, Xooy (a divination ceremony among the Serer of Senegal), the manufacture of cowbells (in Portugal), Al Azi (the art of performing praise, pride and fortitude poetry in the United Arab Emirates), the coaxing ritual for camels (in Mongolia).



Here are the 31 things added to the list this year, including reggae, which is described officially without mentioning marijuana:

Originating within the cultural space of marginalized groups, mainly in Western Kingston, the Reggae Music of Jamaica combines musical influences from earlier Jamaican forms as well as Caribbean, North American and Latin strains. Its basic functions as a vehicle of social commentary, as a cathartic experience, and means of praising God remain unchanged, and the music continues to provide a voice for all. Students are taught how to play it from an early age, and festivals and concerts are central to ensuring its viability.

We often speak of the "drug culture," and I don't think UNESCO wants to recognize drug use as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, but it is.

President George H.W. Bush has died.

(Screenshot from Drudge.)

ADDED: I have a feeling that tributes to H.W. are going to say negative things about Trump — those were the days, when Republicans had class and kindness — but here's Trump:

President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life. Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2018

At the Rattatz Café...

... skitter wherever you like.

[Bumped.]

Do these kids today accept "Seinfeld"?

"Payless Opened a Fake Luxury Store, ‘Palessi,’ to See How Much People Would Pay for $20 Shoes."

Ad Week reports:

[Payless]... invited groups of influencers to the grand opening of “Palessi” and asked their opinions on the “designer” wares. Party goers, having no idea they were looking at discount staples from the mall scene, said they’d pay hundreds of dollars for the stylish shoes, praising the look, materials and workmanship. Top offer: $640, which translates to an 1,800 percent markup, and Palessi sold about $3,000 worth of product in the first few hours of the stunt.

Payless, or “Palessi,” did ring up those purchases but didn’t keep the money. Influencers got their cash back, along with free shoes. Their reactions caught in the short- and longer-form ads—those shocked “gotcha” moments—are fairly priceless....

Here's one of the amusing ads:





I find it hard to believe people fell for this. I think you can see and feel the difference between cheap and expensive shoes. And what exactly makes these people "influencers"? Is it that they lend themselves to promotions? But the ads are excellent — excellent for the Trump era, because aren't these the kind of people Trump fans enjoy laughing at?

ADDED: I'm sure this ad idea has been used many times, but I'm thinking about Folger's Crystals. Here's one example from what was a long running series:

"For centuries in China, the phrase 'four generations under one roof' was synonymous with the ideal family."

"In just a few short words, it encapsulated the dreams of fertility, longevity, and harmony to which hundreds of millions of Chinese aspired. Today, however, the country’s traditional, tight-knit family unit is under siege from a combination of declining birth rates, delayed marriages, and domestic migration. No demographic has been harder-hit by these changes than the 240 million Chinese over the age of 60. A recently published report estimates that as of 2016, the number of elderly Chinese living apart from their children had ballooned to 118 million....  [I]f the government really wants to improve the mental health of its older citizens, it must find ways to reduce the number of solitary and empty-nest elderly.... One important step forward would be to amend the country’s existing hukou household registration system. Originally designed to keep urban and rural residents in their respective places, the system now effectively works to keep the elderly — many of whom are limited to rural hukou — from joining their children in the city... Action should also be taken to address concerns over skyrocketing rents and housing costs. It is not realistic to expect young Chinese couples to bring their parents under their roofs when they can only afford to live in tiny studio apartments."

From "How China Can Help Its Empty-Nest Seniors/With millions of elderly Chinese now living alone, it’s incumbent upon the state to give them a better life" (Sixth Tone).

Fantastic face transplant.

Cameron Underwood was injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which left him in need of a #facetransplant. Plastic surgeon Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez completed a successful face transplant surgery on Cameron in January 2018. His miraculous comeback. https://t.co/qGvEIEKKX1 pic.twitter.com/EsPUrADWW9

— NYU Langone Health (@nyulangone) November 29, 2018

Ironically, it's sexist to think there is something wrong with a dress.