Bookworm on Jan 16 2011 at 5:51 pm | Filed under: Open Threads
Here in the real world, everyone wants a piece of me. I am running out of pieces.
I’d like to blog, but those pieces of time and brain are already taken. Perhaps you can do better than I.
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I’d like to discuss a variation of idioglossia, which is defined as a private speech developed by children, usually twins.
The form I have in mind is the words and expressions couples and families create in the course of daily life. For example, when I was a kid, one of three brothers, each of us took on the task of washing the dinner dishes each evening for a week, then taking the next two off. If a load of dirty dishes was light, we’d ask if we could do them “under the sink,” meaning could we wash them under running water without committing to a formal sinkful of hot water and suds.
We used to call the back part of our property (the lot was 50′ x 300′), which was reached by a set of concrete steps, “upstairs.” We understood what that meant, but visitors would always involuntarily gape at the ceiling of our one-story house if we used the term in front of them.
Between my wife and me, the term “Miss Otis” has come to mean any of the little field mice that periodically take up residence in the walls of our house. It’s based on an old jazz song that Ella Fitzgerald (and many others) made popular way back when, “Miss Otis Regrets.”
The lyrics go:
Miss Otis regrets, she’s unable to lunch today, madam,
Miss Otis regrets, she’s unable to lunch today.
She is sorry to be delayed,
but last evening down in Lover’s Lane she strayed, madam,
Miss Otis regrets, she’s unable to lunch today.
Miss Otis winds up learning her lover has strayed, shoots him, is arrested and put in jail, then later hanged when a pissed-off crowd of the man’s friends descend on her cell. Thus her inability to lunch.
We use “Miss Otis” to describe a mouse that has been in the house for a few days but suddenly is no longer there. Since mice are God’s never-ending foodstuff for owls, raccoons, cats and other hungry critters, our lyrcis are slightly different:
Miss Otis regrets, she’s unable to creep today, Martels,
Miss Otis regrets, she’s unable to creep today.
She is sorry to be delayed,
but this morning down under your house she strayed, Martels,
Miss Otis regrets, she was somebody’s lunch today.
So, my question to the room is, what are some of your private, in-house, intra-family words or expressions that outsiders wouldn’t understand?
Book, I know you are a fan of Chris Christie. I used to be. Now this.
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/01/governor-christies-hamas-pick-for-superior-judgeship.html
I’m very disappointed. But I’d rather know now then after he wins some higher office. I’m done with him.
I agree, wrwoodman.
I would be interested in hearing Christie’s defense of his actions. But it wouldn’t be the first time that someone who recognized internal enemies refused to refuse external enemies. After all, Bush recognized Islamic terrorists as enemies, but he went buddy buddy with domestic insurgents like Ted Kennedy and other Democrats.
It’s as if they live in a bubble that don’t have access to the same things we have access to. or perhaps they live in a prison made by their own power and status.
I’m also a bit disappointed by how so many people who believed CC was Presidential material, not instantly believe he is not.
Regardless of whether the story is 100% true, misleadingly true, half true, or a complete fabrication, the speed at which people change their minds demonstrates to me a distinct weakness and vulnerability to propaganda.
When I said I believed Andrew Breitbart and Sarah Palin were allies, I told people Breitbart didn’t screw up the Sherry deal. I said that, because when I believe someone, I do so for my own reasons and as a result of my own analysis and background research. Not simply because the band wagon of society called me up and told me to get on. When people on the net, even here, were worrying about Breitbart screwing the deal and doing some kind of shenanigans or “buying” a Leftist “trap”. I wasn’t worried at all. I knew he had got the real deal. It wasn’t blind faith either. I analyzed the videos as well before making such a judgment. And a couple of days later, it proved to be the case as I described. In fact, Sherry had an even darker past than Breitbart had exposed using the videos. Much much darker (think using slaves to work your plantation so you can get rich). That kind of badness. This was on top of the land fraud deal with black farmers, which she got a lot of cash for nothing, that is. Defrauding the government of millions.
This means that while people were enthusiastic about CC, I wasn’t nearly so. Not because I thought he was fake or was against him, but because I did not have enough data points on him to allow me to make a decision either or. Thus I waited. When Book said CC was Presidential material, I was glad that a potential ally had become available. But I did not echo such sentiments.
Now with this story out, I find that I am in the same position. People who believed in him strenuously, are now 100% complete, extreme, opposite in belief. While I’m sitting here waiting for more data, as usual.
This is not an attempt to call CC’s previous supporters to task. This is my attempt to get people to understand how vulnerable they are to propaganda attacks, even in the most innocuous of subjects. I use Chris Christie as solely one example out of many. Neither conferring truth to him, either for or against the situation as it stands.
If your hearts can be pulled one way or another by this case. Think how much worse it would be for you if the Left used a propaganda attack on you and you didn’t notice.
I was unpleasantly surprised when Governor Christie came out in support of building the mosque adjacent to the 9-11 site. This is another data point (as YMar pointed out very well.)
I continue to wait and see. I’m not a single-issue voter, but too much support for Muslims with ties into jihadist organizations is a serious issue for me.
Tonight on CNN… (no satirical joke here, this one is real)
CNN’s John King: “Before we go to break, I want to make a quick point. We were having a discussion about the Chicago mayoral race. My friend Andy Shaw used the term ‘in the cross-hairs’ in talking about the candidates. We’re trying, we’re trying to get away from that language. Andy is a good friend, he’s covered politics for a long time, but we’re trying to get away from that kind of language.”
Oh… so… so… so… sensitive we are all becoming! Pardon me, while I step out into the little boys’ powder room and have myself a good little cry.
There, I feel so much better now. Noble, even!
As someone pointed out, CNN ran a show called “Crossfire”, with cross-hairs target and all, for, oh, ten years? Longer? How did this country ever survive THAT?
I’m beginning to understand how the old classic Warner Bros’ cartoons have practically disappeared. All that nasty, ugly violence.
Me, on the other hand, I have the first five volumes of DVD collections of those Warner Bros classics and I love them.
Bugs and Daffy (or was it Elmer?) run for mayor, and they duke it out something fierce. Violence! Only to hear a parade strike up and a crowd is cheering a chestnut horse with a tophat that says, “Mayor” on it. Bugs and Daffy look at each other in consternation and say, “It’s A Dark Horse Mare!”
Foghorn Leghorn and The Hound Dog. Broom Hilda vs Bugs. Marvin The Martian vs Bugs. Sylvester vs Tweety. Elmer Fudd, Daffy, Bugs. Bugs vs The Opera Singer. The Singing Frog… The Dog Who Could Talk: “Maybe I should have said DiMaggio…”
Mike, you good man. Warner Brothers cartoons then, now and forever, amen!