Posted on 07/19/2012 9:39:16 PM PDT by struggle
I hope you all wont mind this vanity, but my father and I were working (yeah, I know Obama's trying hard to put an end to that), and we started talking about how cable news talking heads have adopted repetitious cliches in their constant partisan battles on the tube.
Here are the top five I DESPISE: 1. At the end of the day... 2. Look,... 3. Speaking truth to power... 4. It is what is is... (a true exercise in tautology) 5. Literally... (when they're figuratively explaining a metaphor or hypothetical)
I can see why political discourse made George Orwell's blood boil so much. The linguistic bumpers that these talking heads punctuate their message with parse the core message to the point of making it meaningless.
Bush's Fault!
Every time I hear Rush say “It is what it is” I change the channel to NPR - that’s how much I hate that phrase :>)
For most people they say that as a PC way to say “F’ it- I give up”...just say “I’m helpless, I’m not going to fight it” and be done with it...drop the cute “It is what it is” - aargh
(I really HATE that phrase)
>Paying their fair share.<
That’s the phrase that drives me up a tree. Fair my foot!
"Working families"
(Translation: Societal mooches on Food Stamps, Welfare, Section 8 housing, and other freebie entitlements targeted for the latest vote-buying houndout scheme.)
“Reasonable gun laws.”
I could have written this article, almost word for word. It has come to my attention, having a few acquaintances who periodically are asked to be on the cable tv segments (and who Google the topic at hand furiously for a few hours prior), that the stupid professional political talking heads are only slightly more advanced than high school sophomores when it comes to these brief tv appearances and what they view as the “keys to success.” And it’s a bipartisan rule book. Not even people whose opinions I respect are above the fray. You can see it as it evolves. Do you want to know who made “Look,..” Popular? Newt Gingrich, except he did it at the time as part of his natural speaking syntax. Idiots like hilary rosen thought, wow, that sounded really convincing! Now, they’re first word out of their mouths is “look,...” Even if it isn’t appropriate for the natural flow of back and forth conversation. Regrettably, the cable tv producers seem to reward this herd-like mentality, so they all think they have to do it. We need to hear from people who aren’t trying to convince us (and deep down, themselves) how important they are. Dick Armey is an example. Thanks for the post.
"Swift boating should be defined as the exposing of a poltroon who inflates his biography.
This is often confused, quite deliberately by the mainstream media, with "borking" which should be defined as "attack viciously a candidate or appointee, especially by misrepresentation in the media,” according to to William Safire in The New York Times.
Our mission on FreeRepublic should be to "Swift boat" the unworthy and to prevent the "borking" of the worthy."
“(Translation: Societal mooches on Food Stamps, Welfare, Section 8 housing, and other freebie entitlements targeted for the latest vote-buying houndout scheme.)”
Simplified translation: Parasites
No, don’t apologize for this vanity, oh my God, it’s amazing! Incredible!
I have only heard it used by people who were ticked that they weren't the shepards.
Obama demanding we all play by the same set of rules
I actually liked “thrown under the bus” at first, but it’s worn out now.
My favorite from Hannity: “The Republicans are literally in a circular firing squad.”
I guess that phrase has a different connotation to me. That’s my ‘STFU punk and quit whining’ response. That some things, like gravity, cannot be changed without a great deal of effort that the whiny punk is not willing put forth.
1. Make no mistake.
2. If it saves just one life,...(we’ll take away more of law abiding citizens freedoms).
3. Gravitas.
4. You didn’t build your business.
5. Lynchpin.
6. Synergy.
7. Big effing deal.
8. Resist we much.
9. Quantitative easing. IE slow fiscal rape.
10. You can’t say illegal alien, people aren’t illegal.
11. Blacks can’t be racist.
Publishing confidential reports or information released as fact and gospel only on a condition of anonymity.
Its all just a big show. Absolutely no credibility left in any of it.
Ditto "Forward" (Obama campaign) and even "Lean Forward" (MSNBC motto).
>> I guess that phrase has a different connotation to me. That’s my ‘STFU punk and quit whining’ response. That some things, like gravity, cannot be changed without a great deal of effort that the whiny punk is not willing put forth.
I’m with you on this one, because the way I use it is in the tone of that old prayer “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change... etc”.
Not that it can’t be misused.
Assault Weapons
Gravitas
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