Apparently People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants to rename fish "sea kittens." The new name will make fish seem cuddly and lovable, and discourage people from treating them like food.
Here are some ideas for renaming other animals which have image problems:
| rats | alley gerbils |
| deer ticks | Lyme-Aids |
| pigeons | Brooklyn condors |
| cockroaches | kitchen scarabs |
| lice | crotch butterflies |
See how easy that is? The right PR campaign could do wonders.
The panic that had gripped lefty blogs a couple of weeks ago has, mercifully, subsided. Sarah Palin's popularity among swing voters, i.e. the ones who matter, has plunged. The economy has tanked, and McCain's poll numbers have tanked with it. While McCain might pull it out, it seems unlikely.
I told you to calm down, and that McCain's convention bounce couldn't last. This time, I was right.
And now McCain has "suspended" his campaign, though what that actually amounts to in practical terms is unclear. If anyone's panicking now, it's the Republicans. And who can blame them? They had an uphill battle from the start, and they've made mistake after mistake. I'm actually a little surprised by the "suspension" decision; McCain isn't that far behind in the polls. But I suppose they'd rather go down in flames; it's more entertaining that way.
McCain is getting his post-convention bump. This is normal and expected and no cause for panic.
If Palin were really a strong candidate, McCain's campaign managers would be letting her get out in public. Her shortcomings are obvious to most people already (most sane people, I mean), and will become increasingly obvious as the weeks go by.
Obama is ahead or tied in most national polls and has a strong position in the Electoral College.
Calm down.
So apparently Biden will be Obama's running mate. Is this good for the Democrats? Is it bad for the Democrats? What will he bring to the ticket? Does anyone care?
My assessment is that Obama picked Biden mostly to impress the media, and rightly so. Hardly anyone decides on their presidential vote based on the running mate; both Bushes had dreadful running mates in 1988 and 2000 and won anyway. (Well, not in 2000, but that's a long story...)
The only bad pick for Obama would have been someone who made people nervous, and Biden doesn't do that. So good for you, Barack.
The sentiments in my last post may have been a little, uh, overstated. I've been sick lately. No, really.
A more considered view: apparently "Sex and the City" functions as "clothes porn" for a lot of women. (That phrase is also from the weekend New York Times, but not Pennebaker's column.) Nothing wrong with that, but if clothes aren't your fetish, then the series and movie aren't going to do much for you, are they?
Ruth Pennebaker, in yesterday's New York Times:
...We went to a sneak preview of the movie version of "Sex and the City," which ran for six seasons on HBO, because it was a benefit for Austin's Breast Cancer Resource Center — and four of the five of us are breast cancer survivors. ... But I should tell you: We were also there because we wanted to see the clothes. The stilettos, the gossamer dresses, the floral splashes, the tight jackets, the outré hats, the clutch purses, the hair, the makeup, the dazzling jewelry. If half of “Sex and the City” is about sex, the other half is about what you’re wearing before and after you have sex and when you’re walking around the streets, heartbroken, certain you’ll never have sex again. Men come and men go, they die, they disappoint, they’re unavailable, they’re too available. But at least you’ve still got your three female sidekicks and a killer wardrobe to remind you life is worth living.The "Sex and the City" movie or a slow death from cancer: which is worse?
This passage reminds me of a woman whom I dated in college: an intelligent, deep woman who longed to have been born stupid and shallow. If all you're living for is a killer wardrobe, why not just go ahead and pack it in?
