And I am losing my mind.Even though I am On Summer Vacation, the English teacher in me never rests, and right now every single fibre of my Being is reaching for a red pen (and a vodka martini, up, slightly dirty, two olives, thank you). And while the teaparty sign carrier felt it unnecessary to hide her cleavage, she wisely hid her face.
Aside from the obvious over-arching fallacy of her sign in toto, (how is it that we are losing our children, now?) let's just look at the rest of the crap that's making me want to start drinking at 1:24 PM, EST:
1. Spelling--Even the vast majority of my highschoolers can correctly spell the verb "LOSING," as in the act of getting rid of, misplacing, or failing to retain. "LOOSING," however, means to set free, and is rarely purposefully used in our modern vernacular. All these teapartiers are huge into FREEDOM, yet this yahoo can't even manage to put the correct number of E's into the word on her sign bearing three iconic symbols of it. What kind of moron spells it FREDOM? And doesn't it look like the S at the end was added later? Like she couldn't remember if the President/Democrats/Incumbents/Sane People were taking away just one or several? Finally, we all know that these wackadoos get all hepped up about The Family and Mortgaging Their Children's Futures, yet this doodah can't even sound out the word enough to put in the "R". What the hell is/are CHILDEN?
2. Punctuation--I suppose I should be placated by the proper use of the apostrophe. In a small way, I am. And I know that punctuation on signage follows broader, more forgiving rules, such as the lack of endmarks being acceptable. But can someone tell me why there is not one single comma in the first sentence, which consists of several descriptive phrases in a list, but there is one in the second sentence, which is a compound sentence consisting of two distinct sentences? Really, the second comma should be, in fact, a semicolon. Or, she could observe the forgiving rules of signage and merely place the two independent clauses on separate lines.
3. Basic Design--Oh, let's be nitpicky while we're at it. (I mean, it's not like I'm going to start in on the sign carrier herself, am I?) The orange Liberty Bell is awkward, isn't it? So big and commandeering there. And the two Statues of Liberty are facing the same way; I'd prefer they both face inward, toward each other. Finally, the flags in the shape of the USA--very obvious and overstated. And slapping them over Lady Liberty is just overkill. And why a pink handle to carry this sign? Urg.
Think of what all we could say if we just started in on the basic philosophy of the sign's sentiments. And because this is America, we have the fredom to do just that! We have nothing to loose, and even our childen can join the debate. What a country!
photo found here
I see people use "loose" instead of "lose" ALL THE TIME! On the Weight Watchers boards, in blogland - everywhere!. It's near the top of my pet peeve list (using "then" instead of "than" is at the top).
ReplyDeleteThis is slightly off topic in that it doesn't involve tea party signs, but this weekend my husband & I were at a cemetery for confederate soldiers who died at a Civil War POW camp on Johnson's Island (in Lake Erie). The official Federal sign had this phrase on it, "these hollowed grounds." And, while technically correct (it's a graveyard - the grounds ARE hollowed), I think they meant "hallowed." Sigh.
This post has made me ridiculously happy today! Most of my liberal blogging friends have been drowning in despair lately, whining that they can't find the energy to fight on. I think they've been pushing themselves too hard.
ReplyDeleteNothing boosts the endorphins and the adrenalin like a really good baghead smack-down. Thanks...I'm passing this one on because we all need it now!
(P.S. Like my new nom de poule? It's just me, The Other Nance)
My first thought is that these people and their signs do not deserve the attention and energy you give them.
ReplyDeleteBut my second, much better, thought is that if someone doesn't call them out on their horrid signs promoting their half-baked ideas, then it's the same as giving them the nod. Bravo!
J.--I normally do not rant/rave/provide this much commentary for my teaparty Prodigies of the Week. Not sure why this one in particular frosted so many of my cupcakes.
ReplyDeleteLoulou--Nice name! And so glad to see you back in Comments. I keep telling my fellow LibDems to settle down. One of the bits of...wreckage...of 24-hour news availability is that there is a more circusy and sensationalistic media. They hype up bullshit like Rand Paul and Sarah Palin and their teaparty ilk far more than their actual influence is actually being felt. I really believe that Those Wackadoos are more Story than Reality.
The Bug--I so very much HEAR YOU! I just told my husband while travelling the other day that it is almost Painful to be a Guardian Of The Language these days, when spelling is deemed "a suggestion" and all other rules of grammar (like using "they" as the pronoun to refer to an indefinite antecedent) are just blissfully ignored. Your "hallowed v. hollowed" example is nothing short of egregious. You must write a letter immediately.
The scary thing about all this is that these errors are so rampant. The only bright spot: for every stupid sign like that, they 'loose' a ton of credibility. (Or not; this country did elect Bush to the presidency.)
ReplyDeleteI offer you some consolation, feeble though it is:
Libety, fredom!
nothing to loose except for
the next speling bee
Tea party childen:
please don't reed these awful signs
learn to right instead
Pun entirely intended. Spelling... not so much. :-)
Stick a fork in me. I'm DONE!
ReplyDeleteKnow what's backhandedly great, though? They are composing and parading their own lack of credibility!
If only so many of my dear friends and family didn't REGULARLY use 'loose' when they mean 'lose', and ONLY stop themselves when writing to me, because they know it bugs.
ReplyDeleteAnd "Childen"? Say it in Michael Jackson's voice. That helps. Though the "D" gets in the way.
The Bug's story about Hollowed Ground made me die a little bit inside. Really.
daaaang...I've missed A LOT. But I've enjoyed catching up :)
ReplyDeleteI just wonder if any the bad sign people stumble upon this blog and say, "Oh shit, I wasn't looking so smart, was I?"
Nina--Oh, hel-LO there! Glad you took some time to catch up and also enjoyed the process. As far as the teapartiers ever seeing these signs ALL OVER THE INTERWEBS and feeling any compunction whatsoever--I highly doubt it. They'll insist they were photoshopped as part of a Left Wing Conspiracy.
ReplyDeleteJ.@jj--I've yet to see too many African-American teapartiers, so I have difficulty using that dialect to read these signs. You know? And, is it just me, or has spelling become really terrible everywhere lately? Even on television, I find rampant errors. Now, granted, they are for more local ads, like car dealers, but even the graphics for the Cleveland NBC news affiliate have become downright tragic. I think it's due to budget cuts: Places are using interns, etc. and just aren't being as careful. Still no excuse, IMO.
sputnik--I agree completely that it simply showcases the teapartiers' own stupidity, but they are so self-sustaining. THEY don't see their idiocy, and they are going to keep stumping and voting and worshipping s.palin. Those of us with brains already know how horrifyingly ignorant they are. Moot.
Ortizzle--Oh, a SNARKU!! I love you so! However, let's not encourage the teaparty childRen (LOL) to continue to be on the RIGHT!! Let's try and move them Leftward, if at all possible!
PS--And, let's not forget Our Great Shame: we elected Bush to the presidency TWICE (although like all good Democrats, I absolutely believe that one of those was Highly Suspect!!).
Oh, I do so love you!! You know I work with A LOT of conservatives, Sarah Palin supporters and Glenn Beck watchers. Takes so much energy to keep the, "Are you an f@#$%ing idiot?" off my face.
ReplyDeletedbso--And I heart you too. I'm sorry that you have to work with so many Dittoheads. I'm able to ward them off/weed them out in my profession (teaching). My GP dr., however, is a republican (much to my continued horror, dismay, and chagrin), so I try to minimize contact with him. Why is it that so many of the medical profession (the REAL one, not big pharma) are so horridly conservative? I know I am naive, but didn't Obama just try to push for better reimbursements for them? I'm feeling another "Line 'Em Up And Smack 'Em Down" post coming up...yet I'm trying so hard to Find My Joy this summer.
ReplyDeleteEven more disturbing are the antics of the Westboro Baptist Church (making tea partiers everywhere look like a bunch of Rhodes scholars by comparison) in Kansas. They bring their ignorant-ass brand of hatery to every state to protest at the funerals of dead soldiers holding signs that say "Pray for more dead soldiers"( they blame it on gays...yeah...don't ask) as well as the Holocaust Museum (God hates Jews or Israel), Catholic churches (God hates Catholics) or anyone they think might be gay (God hates Fags). Today in a nearby town, counter-protesters showed these morons how absurd they were by holding signs that said, "God Hates Signs", "I love pie" and "Cheerios Lowers Your Cholesterol". Gotta love it.
ReplyDeleteapathy lounge--Here's a great post by a reader here--a lawyer--who has some knowledge of this group because they are from her area.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the counter group carrying meaningless signs. Awesome.
On another note, hope you're continuing to feel better.