Mark Steyn: What's So Funny About Decapitation?

The Telegraph ^ | October 26, 2004 | Mark Steyn

[yankeedame]

The French, not surprisingly, have a term for this, "epater le bourgeois".

Technically, it means "to shock the middle class" but IMHO that is way too polite a definition. It's when "the Anointed", the politically-hip, the leftist/socialist elitist artists, writers, white-wine-and-brie crowd deliberately do and say things that they know will upset that class of bores, of Philistines, of people simply too common for words (a.k.a. the middle class).

Example: When bonds were being sold for funding the Suez canal, a lot of middle class Frenchmen invested their saving in it. Well, that was enough to set the leftist against it. Not so much condemning it as making fun of it and the (middle class) who invested in it. The same was true with/during the construction of the Eiffel Tower. The bourgeois thought it was pretty nice. Well, that's all the elite leftist needed to condemn it non-stop.

And now the beheadings. Naturally it upsets the(despised) middle class, and so, naturally, it triggers the "epater le bourgeois" attitude in the New Left.

[don-o]

One of his best columns! (But I say that every time) Bump!

The man is a Machine!!

("Welcome to the real world, Neo")

[Billthedrill]

The decadence of passivity does not express itself solely in "ironic jokes".

No indeed. It also expresses itself in the open hope that the fellow who humiliated you by accomplishing something while you stood there cringing will be rewarded with a bloody nose.

It is precisely the sort of decadence and passivity that watched as the Nazis came marching into power. I am reminded of Caberet here. The Nazis may have had the guns, but those who knew better had all the good jokes. And the culture, and the money, and the freedom, at least until all three were taken away from them at the point of a bayonet.

[nothingnew]

"...the headhackers..."

FMCDH(BITS)

[nothingnew]

I cannot understand why the poster exerpts.

The poster's claim is Copyright Infringement, which I'm sure no one here would disagree with. The problem is, 99% of what said poster excerpts are written by people who don't care, and like the exposure they get here. It's an A/R thing.

FMCDH(BITS)

[mc5cents]

But, if this is the best the "civilised world" can do - maudlin sentimentality and ironic jests - then it's in big trouble. Both modes are a pose and a detachment from reality. Brooker and the Guardian seem to be protesting no, don't worry, we were just talking the talk, there's nothing we're prepared to walk the walk for. That's the problem.

Steyn is a genius. He nails it again!

[quidnunc]

nothingnew wrote: (I cannot understand why the poster exerpts.) The poster's claim is Copyright Infringement, which I'm sure no one here would disagree with. The problem is, 99% of what said poster excerpts are written by people who don't care, and like the exposure they get here. It's an A/R thing.

Another major consideration is that if we play by the rules and only excerpt then publishing organmizations like Gannett won't be motivated to prohibit FR from posting any of their content.

Nor being able to post from Gannett is depriving us of a lot of really good stuff.

[workerbee]

Psst -- over here. Per our speculation over the weekend, Mr. Steyn does not disappoint!

[mc5cents]

No indeed. It also expresses itself in the open hope that the fellow who humiliated you by accomplishing something while you stood there cringing will be rewarded with a bloody nose.

Indeed. "All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" And Kerry and HIS ilk in Europe would do NOTHING. That is, as Kerry said, until we are attacked. Well, Ketchup Boy, we have been attacked and President Bush is DOING something about it! Now sit down and shut up. Nov. 2nd I intend to hand you a chair!!

[nothingnew]

Another major consideration is that if we play by the rules and only excerpt then publishing organmizations like Gannett won't be motivated to prohibit FR from posting any of their content.

Yeah. Right.

FMCDH(BITS)

[TEXOKIE]

bttt

[Gimme]

"What if Fox news "joked" that way about Kerry?"

Better contrast would be if our rag papers were to attack their Queen. Just really poor taste and unforgiveable.

[Tax-chick]

... the "joke" is that he wants Dick Cheney to be president, is that it?

Exquisite!

[don-o]

The poster's claim is Copyright Infringement,

The site telegraph.co.uk is not on the no-no list.

[Verginius Rufus]

When Alec Baldwin called for Henry Hyde's family to be killed, was he being "flippant" or "ironic"?

[nothingnew]

The site telegraph.co.uk is not on the no-no list.

I know. I doesn't matter to the Q...see my earlier posts.

FMCDH(BITS)

[livius]

Silly you! Don't you recognize nuance when you see it?

[knews_hound]

BTTT

[foreshadowed at waco]

Does the EU have a position on Darfur?

Yeah...follow the UN...in effect...do nothing...it's about oil and bribes IMHO...no one in Europe or anywhere else (including the American Democratic Party) seems to care when thousands of black Africans are being executed systematically...Clinton stood by while over 800,000 people in Rwanda were slaughtered...but black America still loves him...go figure...it always seems to be follow the money...if Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan get bought off the average black American gets the word and the trickle down bribe money trumps the lives of African people...it's about greed...not conscience...the Democratic Party is a criminal enterprise that stands for nothing but money...even killing babies is a $1 billion a year industry/ sacred cow.

[Dog Gone]

Thanks for un-quidnuncing this post.