Since the description of this category includes peculiarities of language, I figured this might be a good place to get your reactions to this statement by Rep. Barny Frank.  Although I appreciate the bulk of his statemnt today about the foolishness of Congress calling French fries freedom fries in order to support US war efforts, I found it interesting that something which is in the potential stage of existance can also be "going on." ???

It sounds like two things are going on:

1. Frank is carrying on the well-established tradition of American politicians misusing the language or making ridiculous grammatical errors

2. The effect of his statement may be to sensationalize the issue a bit.  Whether or not he’s aware of it, the words ‘war going on’ in that order are more powerful than if he rearranged them to suit conventions of grammar.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew exactly what he was doing by arranging the words so, nor would I be if he was oblivious.  I don’t want to pass judgment on Frank when I don’t know what else he said or anything about him, but nevertheless it’s not loquacious intellectual statements that the American public responds to anymore.  It’s those short little phrases called ‘sound bytes.’  
It IS something to bemoan, because it speaks of the superficiality bred of consumerism.  We glance at a person and know who they are by the logo on their t-shirt; we judge products in stores by their packaging and books by their covers.  Even here, in the Agora, we are allowed a little picture and a few words to define ourselves, and from that our fellows can derive a sense of identity.  Just an example!  Don’t freak out, anyone, because obviously we’re into more than ‘sound bytes’ of conversation here.
It makes perfect sense for American politicians to use phrases akin to corporate logos to transmit a political idea or event on to the people.  It’s an exercising of the indirect hegemonic power of people in such authoritative positions.  We’re set up by our own consumerist society to react to just the sort of language Frank used.  
If I was a conspiracy theorist, I would cerrtainly guess that his ulterior motive was to get people to think that the Iraq situation is "finally" escalating to a war (nevermind war-like events in the region for the last several years) and now we’d better worry about it, and explains the dramatic increase in gas prices…. All to the benefit, ultimately, of the oil companies, who probably give him a LOT of money to protect their interests.  But, I am NOT a conspiracy theorist, so I didn’t say that (it was the devil’s advocate).
In reality I don’t know what he said this morning; I guess I"m just airing my opinions on the direction communication in general seems to be going in America, and it frustrates me when I see evidence of consumer culture permeating every aspect of life.
I better get off the ol’ soap-box.

inanna

And in another patriotic effort, history books will now say that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the ... mmm British. Of course, any sensible person knows that "French" fries were invented by belgians, and do not have any relation with their frozen cousins from McDonald’s or the Congress of the USA.

So does this mean that French kissing is now to be known as freedom kissing?

And what are we to do about the French letter?  :o

What is a "French letter?"

Patricia/AgDrgn

A condom.

Well, some people are very concerned about that sort of freedom.

It might be helpful if someone were to locate and post a transcription of this shining oratory, for those who have not had the dubious benefit of hearing the original.  8)

I went to Rep. Barney Frank’s Website and found this page of Israel & Middle East Issues.

Unfortunately, the latest remarks are not on the page yet.  Considering the thoroughness with which the page has been prepared, I do believe they will be published sometime in the near future.

-Tim

What is a "French letter?"

Continuing in my role as the demon OT postmaster, here’s a joke (stolen from Kenneth Williams):

I went to visit my two maiden aunts. I walked in the living room and there, on the piano, was a French letter. So I asked what it was doing there and one of them replied: "We found it in the park, and it said ‘Place on organ to prevent disease’. We don’t have a organ, so we put it on the piano. And neither of us has had a cold ever since."

;D

[quote author=Palewriter link=board=idiom;num=1047483818;start=0#9 date=03/12/03 at 22:19:08]
..."We don’t have a organ, so we put it on the piano. And neither of us has had a cold ever since."

;D

I laughed so hard I spilled my coffee.  I’m just glad I didn’t have a mouth full of coffee at the time.

Renaming everyday items to remove the term "french" from our lexicon is exactly the sort of behavior I’d expect from certain members of congress…or a class full of third graders.  Not that I’m comparing congressmen to third graders on a behavioral level.  Well, maybe I am.  Actually, I know some third graders who are a bit more mature.

I wasn’t alive then, but maybe someone could tell me.  What did we call german shepards during WWII?  Did this sort of silliness go on then as well?

What did we call german shepards during WWII?

Alsatians. Although I’m not certain the name changed during WWII.

This sort of thing happened during the First World War. The British royal family changed surnames from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. In the US, the frankfurter became a hotdog, etc.
 

Katy, you have lost me. What are you talking about???

Patricia/AgDrgn

Dear Katy,

I’m not sure what you meant (esp. the last part about
interior decorations), but I agree with you 100%.

Sitran

I didn’t realize that.  I am so passé.  I thought
that went out of fashion during the Inquisition.

The timing is odd.  

Sitran  

This thread is getting odd.

My philosophy is quite simple. If someone is going for my nuts, I’m going for their jugular. I admit it’s a rather Texan way of looking at things. I’m deeply sorry if I offend anyone. That’s just the way it is.

I understand exactly what you’re saying, Katy. 9/11 was a turning point. I was at the site just a couple of days after the event. My sister lives so close she took photos of the towers coming down from her living room window. It must be hard for someone living in Sofia or Paris to understand what’s going on.

I suggest they duck.

- PW