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In reply to the discussion: I haven't seen any actual Obamabots here. [View all]DirkGently
(12,151 posts)Nicely put -- and very nice illustration. And I have no dog in your OP. (Full disclosure, I'm more bothered by extreme Obama partisans than extreme critics, but I'm neither and have no interest in calling either group out here). I do remember the post you're talking about, and I thought the title came off as harsh, but make no presumption about the quality of the OP itself, because I did not read it.
Buuuut. I don't think your derision at this particular piece of trivia regarding the headline is on target at all.
How WOULD you phrase a charge of someone being the purveyor of a piece of shit used car?
Do you propose the common sense phrase, were someone theoretically disposed to accuse the President of being the seller of a metaphorical piece of shit used car (and I think we can agree this was metaphorical usage) would be something like,
"Mr. President, you salesman of piece of shit used cars!"
Really?
Doesn't --"Mr. President, you piece of shit used car salesman?" actually work much better there?
Regardless, it's neither obvious and nor undeniable that the only common sense parsing of the second one is calling the President a piece of shit.
I think what's happened here is that you didn't think about this. Whether it's significant to your overall point is another matter, but it's a very hard sell to suggest the interpretation you disapprove of is somehow awkward or unexpected. On the contrary, it's really the only way you'd expect anyone to phrase calling someone a seller of piece of shit used cars. Granted, it's not the clearest phrasing, but in a confined space -- like an OP headline -- there's really no other way you'd say that in the given context.
But please continue with the rest.