A few years ago, the word "tsunami" was all the rage in the media. You know, "a tsunami of bad news," "a tsunami of dissent," "a tsunami of spouse-cheating governors." That kind of thing.
These days, the overused word du jour is "fraught." The annoying thing about it, aside from the constant overuse, is that just about everyone uses it wrong.
For example, just today I heard a guy, a journalist talking on the KPCC show The Business. It's a show about the entertainment industry, and you can podcast it if you like. Anyway, the dude being interviewed writes about the video gaming industry for a living, and he said that the gaming industry has always had a "fraught" relationship with Hollywood.
A fraught relationship.
What the fuck?
Fraught means full. For example, telling your wife or girlfriend she's mad at you because she's riding the cotton pony is fraught with peril.
It is not simply fraught.
From the guy's tone, I think he meant to indicate that the video gaming industry has had a strained relationship, or a relationship filled with tension--fraught with tension, you might say.
But not fraught.
So, to journalists everywhere, I ask this: You are getting paid to use language. Please use it well. Dumbasses.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Been there done that.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but my ex-wife's boyfriend just bought her a house. This posting is dedicated to him.
In case you doubt me
Read about the GOP's plans:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/19/politics/politico/main3949349.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/19/politics/politico/main3949349.shtml
Geraldine was right
Obama has been mostly getting a pass as most people pretend that there's a new paradigm to race relations in this country.
He's lied about Tony Rezko, and he's lied about Jeremiah Wright:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4480868&page=1
All this means, basically, that he's just like the rest of the douchebags who run for office at the national level.
But here's the thing. When you show a black man shouting about race relations in this country, how blacks have gotten a bad deal, and saying "God damn America" from the pulpit, it tends to scare the shit out of white people.
Obama needs white people to vote for him. Leftwingers are generally wussy, and I suspect that a lot of them will run away thanks to the spectre of an angry black man in the White House. (Don't laugh--the right did an excellent job connecting Iraq to 9/11, and there has never been a demonstrable connection.)
He's lied about Tony Rezko, and he's lied about Jeremiah Wright:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4480868&page=1
All this means, basically, that he's just like the rest of the douchebags who run for office at the national level.
But here's the thing. When you show a black man shouting about race relations in this country, how blacks have gotten a bad deal, and saying "God damn America" from the pulpit, it tends to scare the shit out of white people.
Obama needs white people to vote for him. Leftwingers are generally wussy, and I suspect that a lot of them will run away thanks to the spectre of an angry black man in the White House. (Don't laugh--the right did an excellent job connecting Iraq to 9/11, and there has never been a demonstrable connection.)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Prostitution's Victims
So I've been reading a lot about the Elliot Spitzer case lately. I mean, who hasn't? And a lot of the fallout is about whether prostitution is a victimless crime.
Lots of writers, especially women, say it is not. For example: http://blog.nj.com/njv_kathleen_obrien/2008/03/prostitution_perhaps_not_a_cri.html
But seriously, most of the people writing the equivalent of "ewwww" are women. And they always denominate the wife (aka the long-suffering wife) as a victim of the crime.
I don't think so. Prostitution doesn't involve the sale of finite resources. Pussy ain't a barrel of oil. On the flip side, Elliot's dick isn't going anywhere either.
So unless the wife was horned up and wanted to get laid when Elliot was banging the pro, she's not a victim.
I'm going to say that people writing about the poor wife are more appalled at the "betrayal" of wedding vows. Fine. It is what it is.
But they never talk about the hooker's poor boyfriend/husband beind a victim. (Granted, there isn't one in the Spitzer case.) In fact, the critics usually assume that the hooker's boyfriend/husband is complicit, that he's practically a pimp. That's how you know the critics don't really care about the sex qua sex. (For a discussion of what sex workers actually tell boyfriends, go here: http://happyendingz.blogspot.com/2008/01/boyfriends-or-how-can-you-date-someone.html.)
Honestly, I think a lot of women want to feel sorry for themselves (or, by extension, other women). But women are hard on each other. Any woman who has ever had a job or gone to school knows this. They don't see themselves as hookers, ever, but they often see themselves as the wife.
So now I'll say it. Even though Dr. Laura is nuts, she makes a good point when she says that if men are happy to come home, they will. I think that's true in more than 90% of cases. When men are done working but dread going home, they find other things to do.
Lots of writers, especially women, say it is not. For example: http://blog.nj.com/njv_kathleen_obrien/2008/03/prostitution_perhaps_not_a_cri.html
But seriously, most of the people writing the equivalent of "ewwww" are women. And they always denominate the wife (aka the long-suffering wife) as a victim of the crime.
I don't think so. Prostitution doesn't involve the sale of finite resources. Pussy ain't a barrel of oil. On the flip side, Elliot's dick isn't going anywhere either.
So unless the wife was horned up and wanted to get laid when Elliot was banging the pro, she's not a victim.
I'm going to say that people writing about the poor wife are more appalled at the "betrayal" of wedding vows. Fine. It is what it is.
But they never talk about the hooker's poor boyfriend/husband beind a victim. (Granted, there isn't one in the Spitzer case.) In fact, the critics usually assume that the hooker's boyfriend/husband is complicit, that he's practically a pimp. That's how you know the critics don't really care about the sex qua sex. (For a discussion of what sex workers actually tell boyfriends, go here: http://happyendingz.blogspot.com/2008/01/boyfriends-or-how-can-you-date-someone.html.)
Honestly, I think a lot of women want to feel sorry for themselves (or, by extension, other women). But women are hard on each other. Any woman who has ever had a job or gone to school knows this. They don't see themselves as hookers, ever, but they often see themselves as the wife.
So now I'll say it. Even though Dr. Laura is nuts, she makes a good point when she says that if men are happy to come home, they will. I think that's true in more than 90% of cases. When men are done working but dread going home, they find other things to do.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Still amazing
A guy who has some dough is married with kids and bored. He starts to fuck around, even going to pros. He does his best to hide what he's doing from his family.
I have no complaint about any of it. I've been married. I know what it's like to sleep with a woman who doesn't want to fuck (or at least, doesn't want to fuck me).
If you're a crusading law-and-order prosecutor, however, you're a hypocrite.
Sorry, Elliot. You fucked up.
But I get it. I understand everything he did. Well, except spending $4000 on a couple of hours of snatch, primo though it must have been. I mean, come on! Four grand?! Motherfucker. (I will say, however, that I once averaged out how often I got laid in my very long marriage, then divided it into what the marriage cost me, dollarwise. As a practical matter, I probably did spend $4k a pop. And it was harder to get her to consent than it would have been with a pro. I assume cash buys some acting ability. C'est la vie.)
Elliot is going to land on his feet. He's a rich guy already. He made almost two million bucks in 2006. With his business and political connections, he'll find a good gig making a lot of money, whether he's disbarred or not. He just won't be able to run for anything again.
He's proven, though, that the need for strange is a powerful motivator. If someone had taken him aside (where's Jiminy Cricket when you need him) and asked him if he were willing to give up his office and family for a couple of hours with a pretty, petite girl named "Kristen," he might have thought twice. But it's not the stakes that will stop someone from doing it. It's the likelihood of getting caught.
What Elliot didn't count on was that he'd made some enemies over the years. I suspect people were gleeful to figure out he was stepping out on his wife.
If nothing else, he threw the right a bone. I mean, the last four or five big sex scandals were gay Republicans. The right needed this. Of course, at least Elliot likes girls, same as Bill. There isn't much to criticize.
I have no complaint about any of it. I've been married. I know what it's like to sleep with a woman who doesn't want to fuck (or at least, doesn't want to fuck me).
If you're a crusading law-and-order prosecutor, however, you're a hypocrite.
Sorry, Elliot. You fucked up.
But I get it. I understand everything he did. Well, except spending $4000 on a couple of hours of snatch, primo though it must have been. I mean, come on! Four grand?! Motherfucker. (I will say, however, that I once averaged out how often I got laid in my very long marriage, then divided it into what the marriage cost me, dollarwise. As a practical matter, I probably did spend $4k a pop. And it was harder to get her to consent than it would have been with a pro. I assume cash buys some acting ability. C'est la vie.)
Elliot is going to land on his feet. He's a rich guy already. He made almost two million bucks in 2006. With his business and political connections, he'll find a good gig making a lot of money, whether he's disbarred or not. He just won't be able to run for anything again.
He's proven, though, that the need for strange is a powerful motivator. If someone had taken him aside (where's Jiminy Cricket when you need him) and asked him if he were willing to give up his office and family for a couple of hours with a pretty, petite girl named "Kristen," he might have thought twice. But it's not the stakes that will stop someone from doing it. It's the likelihood of getting caught.
What Elliot didn't count on was that he'd made some enemies over the years. I suspect people were gleeful to figure out he was stepping out on his wife.
If nothing else, he threw the right a bone. I mean, the last four or five big sex scandals were gay Republicans. The right needed this. Of course, at least Elliot likes girls, same as Bill. There isn't much to criticize.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Amazing
So, last week, my computer, which runs Microsoft Vista (which sucks, bad), automatically downloaded some updates. After that, the machine ran horribly--it was choppy, hesitant, slow.
Luckily, I figured out that heaving the machine against the wall was not the answer. Instead, I removed all but two of the updates (which are apparently not removable).
I then changed my settings so updates don't take place automatically.
In the words of The Who: I won't be fooled again.
Next time, Mac.
Luckily, I figured out that heaving the machine against the wall was not the answer. Instead, I removed all but two of the updates (which are apparently not removable).
I then changed my settings so updates don't take place automatically.
In the words of The Who: I won't be fooled again.
Next time, Mac.
Monday, February 4, 2008
President or Beer Buddy
I hear people (especially women) say all the time, "Yeah, Hillary's smart and experienced, but I just don't like her."
I used to hear people say about W, our Fearless Leader, "I like him. I'd like to have a beer with him."
I don't need to like my president. I'm not against it, but my criteria for voting for president do not include wanting him or her to be fun at a freaking cookout.
I used to hear people say about W, our Fearless Leader, "I like him. I'd like to have a beer with him."
I don't need to like my president. I'm not against it, but my criteria for voting for president do not include wanting him or her to be fun at a freaking cookout.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Ass-kickers for President
I've heard people criticize Hillary Clinton for trying to fuck up the Nevada caucuses. According to the complainers, she's trying to disenfranchise voters, and that's not something dems should do. That's a tactic of the right.
Well grow up, pussies.
I'm heartened that there are dems somewhere that can be streetfighters. That kind of thing wins. Do you think we had the last eight years because everyone played nice? Yes, it lowers the tenor of the debates. Yes, it cheapens the concepts of freedom and liberty. But if people like Karl Rove are to be muzzled, then the fight is going to have to be with his tactics.
Does anyone remember a few years ago when the right (Rush Limbaugh started it, I think), pushed the concept that the dems "hated" W? The left responded with some namby-pamby answer along the lines of, "No, we don't hate him. We just hate his policies."
Well, wah.
The right answer was, "Fucking A. We hate the motherfucker and we're not giving the country over to him."
The electorate responds to people they think are capable of kicking ass. It's the "I want to have a beer with him test." People want to have beers with people who seem like winners, not wusses.
Say what you will about Hillary. She's an ass-kicker. That will serve her well if she gets the nomination, because the right is full of liars and cheats.
Do you want to be pure, or do you want to win and change the way the world looks?
Well grow up, pussies.
I'm heartened that there are dems somewhere that can be streetfighters. That kind of thing wins. Do you think we had the last eight years because everyone played nice? Yes, it lowers the tenor of the debates. Yes, it cheapens the concepts of freedom and liberty. But if people like Karl Rove are to be muzzled, then the fight is going to have to be with his tactics.
Does anyone remember a few years ago when the right (Rush Limbaugh started it, I think), pushed the concept that the dems "hated" W? The left responded with some namby-pamby answer along the lines of, "No, we don't hate him. We just hate his policies."
Well, wah.
The right answer was, "Fucking A. We hate the motherfucker and we're not giving the country over to him."
The electorate responds to people they think are capable of kicking ass. It's the "I want to have a beer with him test." People want to have beers with people who seem like winners, not wusses.
Say what you will about Hillary. She's an ass-kicker. That will serve her well if she gets the nomination, because the right is full of liars and cheats.
Do you want to be pure, or do you want to win and change the way the world looks?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
I Wanna Be President, So Trust Me
Ok, imagine you are a guy from Hope, Arkansas, and you have decided you want to be President. Imagine, too, you're doing pretty well, that people think you're folksy and kind. They think that even though you are a right-winger, you're not all judgmental. You just like God. And you hate sins but not sinners.
So far so good, right.
But there's this other dude, from a weird religion, and he is likely to kick your ass. So what do you do? You're doing so well with positive messages, like "I'm a Republican, but I'm not mad at anybody." Still, playing nice is threatening to make you an also-ran. You do not want to go back to Arkansas, not when there's all that marble and limestone to check out in DC.
So you bite the bullet and spend some dough on an attack ad. A "Romney's Health Plan: $50 for an abortion" kind of thing. That ought to scare the shit out of the voters.
But will you run that ad? No. Why? Because maybe it will piss off the voters. Did you think of this before you spent the money on the production? Of course. Now you have the ad, and the only thing you have to do is get it shown without making people mad.
How? As Pooh said, "Think think think."
Ah, who are you kidding? You knew all along.
You go on the news and you tell people you almost went negative. But then you decided that sort of thing has to stop with you. So you tell everyone you're not going to run the ad. Now they can't be mad at you for being negative. But you also give the ad you're not going to run to the news people. So they run it. Yay! They run it, and they run it for free! Woooooooo!
You know you're smart enough to be President now. You're saving money, getting the word out, and looking like a good guy, too. Who could see through that?
Maybe Mitt's new campaign slogan should be "Fuckabee Huckabee." Well, if it weren't so negative.
So far so good, right.
But there's this other dude, from a weird religion, and he is likely to kick your ass. So what do you do? You're doing so well with positive messages, like "I'm a Republican, but I'm not mad at anybody." Still, playing nice is threatening to make you an also-ran. You do not want to go back to Arkansas, not when there's all that marble and limestone to check out in DC.
So you bite the bullet and spend some dough on an attack ad. A "Romney's Health Plan: $50 for an abortion" kind of thing. That ought to scare the shit out of the voters.
But will you run that ad? No. Why? Because maybe it will piss off the voters. Did you think of this before you spent the money on the production? Of course. Now you have the ad, and the only thing you have to do is get it shown without making people mad.
How? As Pooh said, "Think think think."
Ah, who are you kidding? You knew all along.
You go on the news and you tell people you almost went negative. But then you decided that sort of thing has to stop with you. So you tell everyone you're not going to run the ad. Now they can't be mad at you for being negative. But you also give the ad you're not going to run to the news people. So they run it. Yay! They run it, and they run it for free! Woooooooo!
You know you're smart enough to be President now. You're saving money, getting the word out, and looking like a good guy, too. Who could see through that?
Maybe Mitt's new campaign slogan should be "Fuckabee Huckabee." Well, if it weren't so negative.
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