More metaphor &c
[ by Charles Cameron — continuing the series, with a choice gobbet of Updike ]
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from Meet the Press, 10/21/2018
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I continue to find the close reading of metaphors an invaluable analytic tool, and one that is also of interest to me personally, for writerly, poetic purposes. I’ve expanded my search from its original focus on games — specifically including sports, theater, war games &c as metaphors for politics — to cover something I’ll characterize as fine writing — giving me the ability to note and quote across a wider range of topics and usages.
My last post in the series ran to 18 comments, each one containing a couple of dozen or so instances of metaphor or fine writing, and I don’t expect my expanded search criteria to expand my actual collection — if anything I hope to cut back in favor of writing other things. But when MSNBC’s Meet the Press splashes a great End Game banner on my screen, as it did today, see above, I still won’t be able to resist.
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On the subject of fine writing, though, how’s this?
Dorothy Dotto, thirty-eight, happily married for nineteen years, the mother of three, a member of the Methodist Church, the Grange, and the Ladies’ Auxiliary. She lives, and has lived all her life, in the town of Elm Corners, somewhere in the Corn Belt; as a child, she won seven consecutive pins for perfect Sunday school attendance, and she graduated with good grades from a public school where the remarkable truthfulness of George Washington and the durable axioms of Benjamin Franklin were often invoked. Her father, Jesse, who is retired but still alive (bless him), for forty years kept above his desk at the feed mill a sign declaring, “Honesty Is the Best Policy.”
That’s John Updike, describing “the unimaginably tactful and delicate process whereby the housewife next door was transmogrified into a paid cheat” in what in retrospect looks like a major turning point in the American psyche — the loss of innocence that occurred when it was revealed that many hundreds of Dorothy Dottos had been suborned into a grand cheating system in what’s now known as the 1950s quiz show scandals:
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show’s producers to arrange the outcome of an ostensibly fair competition. The quiz show scandals were driven by a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons included the drive for financial gain, the willingness of contestants to “play along” with the assistance, and the lack of then-current regulations prohibiting the rigging of game shows.
Back to Updike:
Now, as we remember the flavor and ethos of that innocent era, we realize that the contestants, aside from their freakish passion for Hittite history or skeet-shooting statistics, were meant to be us — you and me and the bright boy next door. This was America answering. This was the mental wealth behind the faces you saw in a walk around the block.
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Okay, game shows, in addition to Updike’s undoubtedly fine writing, that’s a game reference. But a loss of American innocence? That’s not nothing. That’s something worth pondering..
In fact, a loss of innocence is fundamentally a loss of the default assumption of trust — and isn’t it precisely the loss of trust that leads to all those conspiracist theories of a mysterious “They” who run “our” world, Skull and Bones, the Bohemian Club, No Such Agency, whoever — and the ensuing distrust of and between political paetiues, leading us eventually to today’s:
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And how’s that for a delicious paradox? The United States are now Divided as to whether they’re divided or united — with divided in the majority..
Okay, loss of innocence, let alone loss of virginity, may be strong language to describe the impact of those 1950s quiz show scandals on the American psyche — but something broke, a ratchet slipped, and perhaps we haven’t been quite the same since.
In any case, I’ll be collecting my usual snippets and gobbets of this and that — often sports, politics, war or strategy related, but also just plain curious or fine stuff — here in the comments section. And oh, btw, I’ve been misspelling gobbet as gobbit for years hereabout: forgive me, it’s spelt (spelled?) with an e, and means a chunk, primarily of meat or writing — no Gandalfian echo intended.
Ad now, as my friend David Ronfeldt would say, Onwards!
October 22nd, 2018 at 4:29 am
Some clips from Meet the Press, 21/10/2018
Unintended / unanticipated consequences?
More to come..
October 22nd, 2018 at 4:02 pm
Oh lovely! from A Trans Latinx Artist’s High-Fashion Critique of Colonialism:
Matrioshka masks!
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Headliners — Jerry Brown:
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:21 am
Zen,
look at the map behind the Divided States of America graphic. Might that be a map of the different time zones?
Yes, the continental United States is divided into 4 different time zones. According to a poll, 99% of people agree that the USA is divided into different time zones.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:24 am
Sorry,
meant to address that last comment to Charles.
October 23rd, 2018 at 4:03 am
LOL
October 24th, 2018 at 12:08 am
monday 10/22/2018
the beat:
he [bolton] also referred to that [rissianm 2016] interference as a true act of war ..
i study rap battles for a living .. m 23
today’s trump-cruz rally is the political equivalent of Drake and Pusher T making an album together. That will not happen. Because apparently family values are stronger in celebrity rap than in republican politics ..
howell raines:
in effect it’s a circus, and the only rule maker is the ringmaster, donald trump ..
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raines:
right now he is viciously effective as a closer ..
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[another analogy]:
from one point of view, you’re like pinatas out there ..
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hardball:
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i’m backed up wrt my notes on metaphor, hope to get caught back up over the weekend. for now, over and out!
October 26th, 2018 at 8:35 pm
catching up, misc:
driving around in a van with politicians with crosshairs on them – 1.33-4, msnbc, nicolle wallace 10/26/2018
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October 27th, 2018 at 3:36 am
mtp 10/24/2018
mtp
m 16 total crackpotism
it’s a lay-up .. 1 i know Folks inside the white house put press on the president to go into that space, .. to make that lay-up, take the shot .. and the president throws the ball at the other end of the court ..
34/5
we were all coming up with these programs to try to figure out how do we keep isis from radicalizing people on line .. it turns out we need to worry about these social media programs domestically — how do we keep ourselves from radicalizing
ourselves? [ourob]
52 the war for the soul of the republican party is over .. an trump won ..
melber the beat:
donald trump has weaponized politics with names attached ..
a partisan brawler from a reality tv show ..
these are from varied recent days & sources –o
October 28th, 2018 at 3:20 pm
steve schmidt on brian williams 11th hr 10/26/2018:
i’ll probably make a whole post about this one, time permitting..
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hardball:
he’s playing the pastor here, when he’s part of the problem.
sending pipe bombs isn’t saying boo, it’s political terrorism ..
his trademarks have been bullying and intimidation, and vitriol can breed violence ..
that crowd didn’t catch the change in the mood-ring ..
lock her up doesn’t take a big jump to blow her up ..
we can disagree without being disagreeable ..
it’s a food fight .. gun fight ..
this is the president’s attack list ..
he should not be beating the tom toms of ..
i have a runnning war with the media ..
it’s part of the shtick now..
will donald trump learn he has flown too close to the sun ..
all in, ari melber:
any guy who can do a body slam..
campaign carried out by an israeli teen, not neo-nazis ..
he found a father in trump
he has a marvelous opportunity here — but he’s someone who has never missed an opportunity .. to miss an opportunity ..
‘shell game” ..
someone has weaponized trump’s twitter feed into a hit list..
ah, sports and politics!
CNN is ISIS
two sources for sayoc van graphics & decals:
they think it’s theater, they think it’s like pro wrestling ..
david corn on hardball: he’s playing footsie with this stuff ..
trump is putting all his
it’s off the trump playlist ..
all in chris hayes:
george soros mnailed it to himself [conspiracist ourob!!]
it’s like someone has had a religious conversion experience ..
President Trump: “I think I’ve been toned down…I could really tone it up…
beschloss: i spend all my life looking for historical precedents, and i strike out ..
he understood the stations of the cross of american politics .. !!
smoke and mirrors ..
snake oil ..
he’s just trying to keep his supporters in a hermetically sealed chamber of spin and lies .. michelle goldberg ..
risky game — but it’s also the only one he knows how to play ..
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OKAY, I’M ABOUT CAUGHT UP WITH MY NOTES — it might be good to go back once the transcripts are available, and check some of these out — ONWARDS!
October 28th, 2018 at 8:41 pm
October 29th, 2018 at 2:43 am
Blast from the past: an ugly, politically successful visual DQ from @realdonaldtrump:
October 30th, 2018 at 9:58 pm
MTP Monday, Katy Tur:
the regulars (at tree of life synagogue, among them many of those killed) .. the sturdiest branches of the tree of life ..
tree of life — light of joy ..
ari melber:
note: kroger shooting
richard stengel:
michael eric dyson:
hardball:
it was plucked straight out of putin’s playbook ..
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rabbi sacks on parshat vayera:
steve schmidt:
..
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chris h:
michelle goldberg:
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10/20/2018 all in chris hayes
he has a no-holds barred attitude/approach
October 31st, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Gavin Newsom, the Next Head of the California Resistance
Hats off to writer Andrew Marantz for this:
That’s from The Pittsburgh Shooting and the Dark, Specific Logic of Online Hatred. I don’t know that logic is the exact right word here, but there’s a dark, specific sense, a dark, specific narrative if you will, which may contain its own contradictions, twists and turns — but yes, there’s a dark sense that we can in fact, and should, make sense of.
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raise the bloody flag ..
courage on the gridiron ..
in nicolle w, 10/31/2018:
one more pugilist in a World Wrestling Federation contest ..
the beat:
a week from today, the gloves will be off regarding robert mueller ..
this is his closing argument. the caravan’s coming, it’s dangerous — this is not clear — he got the army out to meet them at the border like the Alamo or something. i don’t know what he’s creating, this iconic fight here ..
[ad] better sleep keeps me on top of my game ..
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here’s an odd one –
My Grandfather Thought He Solved a Cosmic Mystery
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EXCLUSIVE: HOW ELIZABETH HOLMES’S HOUSE OF CARDS CAME TUMBLING DOWN
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ari, 11/02/2018:
the one oerson yyou don’t fight in the club is the bouncer ..
hardball:
this is really the battle of the bugles, the battle of the tubas ..
all in chris hayes:
it’s the political sports ..
this is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel m37/8 ,,
she (stacey) absolutely has a charismatic .. [check context for more]
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nicolle 11/05/2018
p[trump] ainting an astonishingly apocalyptic view [of democrats].. [check context for more]
the mini-me analogy ..
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i’m a religious man, but i’m not a prophet ..
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‘I know the ropes’: Pelosi makes her case for leader as Democrats chase House majority
November 6th, 2018 at 5:03 am
Russia Turns Up Uninvited to NATO’s Trident Juncture War Games
rachel:
even with the deck totally stacked in the republicans’ favor ..
November 7th, 2018 at 5:54 pm
POST MIDTERMS:
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“I’M VERY WORRIED ABOUT DON JR.”: FORGET THE MIDTERMS—WEST WING INSIDERS BRACE FOR THE MUELLER STORM
going to the mattresses ..
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Trump warns of ’warlike posture’ if his opponents investigate him – video
November 8th, 2018 at 11:38 pm
Down for the Recount — a clever Atlantic political / sports pun ..
MTP 11/7/2018:
Trump: They can play that game, we can play it better, because we have a think called the United States Senate ..
As Sarah Palin once said, I can see 2020 from this table {Pletka] ..
Danielle Pletka: This is what Donald Trump forcibly reminds me of, is Fifth Grade .. [the Republocan Party] .. or its going to be that Fifth Grade party in which the base votes with Donald Trump, because he sets the standard, or its going to be a party that stands up, and includes a lot of people that Donald Trump thinks losers and didn’t pick for his fricken volleyball team ..
I think it’s a race to the bottom ..
It’s not a dog whistle, it’s a foghorn ..
This goes to the WWE thing. There’s still a part of him when he spars with the press, he still thinks its part of the show ..
You have a president that essentially loves to essentially do [?] the rhetorical arts..
The Beat, Ari Melber:
Criminal organization that passes for an administration
He did the same thing he did in picking Kavanaugh to be on the supreme court. He looked for somebody who would basically be a Get Out of Jail cards free .. Now he’s got two cards out there and it raises the question when happens when you’re holding two ace and Bob Mueller’s holding one.. We don’t know what he’s holding .. I was going to say he’s probably holding two jokers ..
But DC clichés can overwhelm simple facts. Like the cliché that American politics zigs and zags in Presidential races..
keyser soze .. puppets – [check when transcript available] ..
ghetto boys ..
Hardball:
how far can he go with this gambit ..
if he ever wants to pull the trigger ..
corn: smother, strangle ..
wartime consigliere..
what a press conference it was .. street fighting ..
Whittaker tweet “Note to Trump’s lawyer: Do not cooperate with Mueller lynch mob” ..
How far can he go with this gambit ..
It’s already a street fight .. they can play that game, but we can play it better ..
Blood on people’s noses ..
Break the glass option – heidi przybyla
I think I am a great moral leader ..
He came there ready to pick a fight .. wanted ton be seen .. fighting ..
The goal .. they could duke it out with him ..
Your mom is dead and I can kill fredo ..
Look at an assistant to the president pulling a mic out of the guy’s hand – that’s physical ..
Donald trump brought his streetfighting .. to the White House ..
This is going to be one of the great fights of the American presidency ..
He’s fighting for his life ..
All in chris hayes:
All bets are off ..
blumenthal: break the glass .. firestorm ..
natasha: he may have been playing his cards close to his chest ..
to shoot the moon .. burn down the building ..
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Trump Launches “Game of Thrones” Showdown with Iran
November 11th, 2018 at 12:18 am
CSIS, Artificial Intelligence and National Security David Sparrow;
Hardball:
fumble the ball [get context when transcribed] ..
m 46 he was their horse in the race and they .. make sure he wins
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11/10/2918 ??
turned on him with fangs bared
sharpton:
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Protest is as American as football. Why doesn’t Trump get it?
November 12th, 2018 at 4:24 am
You know, I’m deeply abstract, disentangled from much of what goes on, ivory towered if you like, and although I’ve posted numerous posts about threeness and threeness games, I don’t think I’ve ever thought to mention threesoms, love triangles, &c, which can tip all too easily from friendly to murderous.
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nor did i know anything, until a casual reference on a TV show I was uninterested in gave me a hint to check love triangles, about Karpman and his triangle:
Here:
some more:
broward county is sometimes called the florida of florida..
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‘Preparing for the worst’: Mueller anxiety pervades Trump world
November 16th, 2018 at 5:23 pm
The Worst Is Yet to Come for California’s Wildfires
into this flies the julian assange hand grenade ..
staring down the barrel of an indictment ..
what sort of firepower is being brought to bear?
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if the fbi wants to arrest him in this criminal probe, does he gave to sign off on his own arrest? do you think he would?
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some awful and black devil’s bargain here ..
this guy [gulen] should not become a bargaining chip in some game
mpt weds:
this is the play ..
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Kwame Jackson:
mtp:
harvey rouda:
chuck:
melber:
it’s put a stack of blue chips in the hands of the democratic party ..
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all in chris matthews:
clearly bob mueller is a master chess player ..
they keep kin of lucy and the footballing it, theye keep kind of moving and moving and moving it ..
weird game of checkers with the president ..
a two pope situation .. / .. it’s very game of thrones, he’s not the true king ..
trump has been playing still ball [?] ..
game the system ..
nancy is more of a happy warrior, mitch is more grumpy ..
get out of jail card free ..
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there was an excellent rachel maddow para at her opening between 14-17 nov 2018, in which she compared the promotion of whitaker from obscurity to acting atty general to promo from xx to nascar , from dish washer to penthouse owner, a shot from a cannon
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also something about a wrecking-ball ..
kc dc start: somethingnof a bank shot ..
m12: round one .. round two ..
hardball: [pelosi} absolutely excels at the insider game of politics ..
the president has had a check, if not a check mate, but he’s made a chess move on the board that puts him personally in a position of power with respect to mr mueller ..