When Metaphors Crystallize: A Real 'Media Drive-By', of Sorts

Still, as Harrogate and Supadiscomama discussed last night, the best Metaphor in our Vernacular remains that of Shit Hitting the Fan. It means exactly what it evokes, so sublimely, so humorously, so viscerally.

But the 'Drive-By Media' meme, begun by Rush Limbaugh, is also relatively useful at times. This morning we had a convergence between Reality and Metaphor, as Valerie Plame's verbal assassin, Robert Novak, apparently slammed his car into a bicyclist and attempted to leave the scene of the crime.


Linky.

He said he chased Novak half a block down K Street., finally caught up with him and then put his bike in front of the car to block it and called 911. Traffic immediately backed up, horns blared and commuters finally went into reverse to allow Novak to pull over.

Bono said that throughout, Novak "keeps trying to get away. He keeps trying to go.” He said he vaguely recognized the longtime political reporter and columnist as a Washington celebrity but could not precisely place him.

Finally, Bono said, Novak put his head out the window of his car and motioned him over. Bono said he told him that you can't hit a pedestrian and just drive away. He quoted Novak as responding: “I didn’t see him there.”

Heh. Down K Street, indeed.

A Tribute to Paperweight, M, and Wildman; Or, Not-So-Happy Tuesday Music Tribute

A big "tip of the hat" to Paperweight, who loaned to me this weekend his copy of Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's Raising Sand. It's a wonderful album!

The clip below is a live performance of one of my favorite songs from the album, "Gone Gone Gone." Posting this particular song makes this otherwise happy tribute also equally heartbreaking, for it reminds me that Paperweight, M, and Wildman will soon, themselves, be "Gone Gone Gone." But only in physical proximity. We will not see them as often as we do now, but I know we will continue to meet often in the blogosphere, where we will no doubt laugh and argue as we do now (just as we continue to do with Solon and Megs after their departure).

Our friendship will last a very, very long time.

A Word on the Flaming Sword Hasselbeck/Goldberg Thread; or, an Elaborate Reply to M

First, the issue for Harrogate is not so much that people came down on Hasselbeck per se. Second, Hasselbeck breaking into tears has nothing to do with Harrogate's argument, either. For that matter, it isn't even what made her, for Harrogate, seem more human than Goldberg.

The issue for Harrogate is this: What made Hasselbeck seem more human, as Oxymoron eloquently put it, is that she acknowledges a lack of understanding on what is, contrary to some recently expressed opinions, a very complex issue. Goldberg, on the other hand, drops all the glib talking points about "APPROPRIATION," as if that settles the matter. Maybe in a Graduate Theory Course that would settle it. But that's about it.

Indeed, m, Harrogate vehemently disagrees with your suggestion that there is ever a point in the clip previously shown, where Whoopi Goldberg and Elizabeth Hasselbeck occupy the same footing, attempting to "make themselves heard." Though Hasselbeck talks more, she shows a desire to listen throughout: Goldberg on the other hand through the whole clip is as static as a medical flatline, offering only the monolithic view which she frames as beyond dispute, and cetainly beyond dispute of anyone who is, gasp! White.

How dare a white person weigh in on this issue in a way that is not fawning?--Is this question the product of an understandable impulse? Of course it is. But how it is in any way good for debate, how it advances understanding, eludes reason. And of course that wretched tool, that enabler par excellance, Barbara Walters, is practically fanning her and feeding her grapes while she pontificates.


Supadiscomama pointed out recently that in the movie O, the modern day Othello figure tells his white girlfriend something to the effect of, "I can say Nigger. You can't. You can't even think that word." Again, understandable?--of course. But then, so too are many things understandable that we don't ultimately embrace. Shall we sympathize with O's effusion unproblematically? Does anything outside of absolute identity politics doctrine allow such a weird assertion to pass, uncriticized?


The problem is, again, Hasselbeck and Goldberg were arguing about something that is very complicated. Neither party is Obviously right. Yet on the recent thread we had the suggestion, by two different commenters, that the problem at hand was Hasselbeck's lack of education. The self-righteousness and smugness of which assertion, and most importantly the wrongness of which assertion to anyone not invested in a particular academic doctrine, is not to be missed.

So these things needed to be pointed out, and point them out Harrogate, in his own clumsy way, tried to do. It may well be that, as one commenter said, that the poster child for corporate greed and pampered vacuousness, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, needs to "get a clue." But then, by the same token, it is also the case that Goldberg's modes of argumentation are embarrassing to those of us identifying as three-dimensional liberal humanists, from sea to shining sea.

As for the assertion of departure by Anastasia, whose comments have of course been valued, and whose return we hopefully await. Harrogate, in short, hopes thicker skin prevails.

Finally, since it is so clear to so many on this Blog, Harrogate then could use some "splainin" by some of them, why exactly it is so obvious that there is no social harm done in the Idea of African Americans, among one another, keeping the word "nigger" alive and well.

Odd Man Out + Baby

Oxybaby completed her second week of daycare this week. When I picked her up on Friday, she had an invitation to a birthday party for one of her schoolmates. Well, obviously Oxybaby and said acquaintance have not had ample time to form an everlasting friendship. This will take at least another five days. But she received the invitation just the same, as the daycare requires that no child in a particular class be excluded from events where other classmates are invited. Fair enough.

When I got home that evening, Mrs. Oxymoron was there. I told her about the party, and she simply reiterated the policy by which Oxybaby likely received her invitation. I then picked up the phone and called the child's mother to RSVP for Oxybaby and me. Mrs. Oxymoron gave me the strangest look, and when I got off the phone, asked if I was really going. "Sure," I said, "you'll be in Austin for a girls night out, and we've nothing better to do." She acknowledges the truth here, but still says it's a bit weird: "you don't even know these people, they don't even know you, and Oxybaby was only invited because everyone in her class was invited."

I just got back from the party. We were there for about forty minutes. And I will admit, it was a bit awkward. Everyone was nice, but I knew not a soul. And Oxybaby and the birthday boy didn't seem to know one other from Adam (a strange expression if you ask me). Perhaps I should have listened to the Mrs. But then again we got some cake. And Oxybaby loves cake. Although we could have purchased several cakes for the price of a birthday gift.

I should also add that Mrs. Oxymoron teased that I was going to the party to check out MILFs. No comment.

Random Musings about the State of the Union

I only watched a few minutes, bet here are some observations on what they must have been thinking:

President Bush: His metaphors were beyond banal. His delivery was good. He must have been thinking about his next job: Commissioner of MLB when Selig retires.

Congress:
Republicans- please, do not talk about immigration.
Democrats: Talk about whatever you'd like; your days are numbered. Please, mention immigration once again.

Cheney & Pelosi:
I don't know who looked less interested, the VP or the Speaker. Cheney was most likely thinking when he would break the news that the 2008 elections would be canceled. Pelosi, the aesthetics of an all-female team behind the podium.

The Supreme Court Justices:
As they listen to the policy proposals, do they sit there and think: constitutional, constitutional, unconstitutional, constitutional, unconstitutional...

I think Justice Alito has a crush on #43. After the speech, when Bush was shaking hands, Alito, out of the corner of his eye, watched the president move about the room . As the president approached, he attempted to remain focused by looking down. Once the president approached, he laugh like a giddy school girl and became smitten with him. Once the president moved on to the next Justice, Alito stared longingly at the person that gave him life tenure on the Court. It was just an endearing moment.

Also, do you think they ever tire of hearing, "We need justices that stay within the bounds of the constitution" or "We need justice that read the letter of the law." It must be a shot to their credibility that a man who has never read the constitution, or at least does not understand the meaning of the constitution, to lecture on the constitution. I think it was last year when President Bush read the line of "judicial activists" and then winked at Justice Souter. Yes, the camera caught that non-verbal which undermined his argument.

Oh well, farewell to #43 and his banal exercises in public speaking.