# Attention: Any EARNEST use in political discussion of the following terms brands the user an idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381 "2011-01-20T21:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/101 "2011-01-22T01:25:14Z")
I am moved to contrition by this discussion of disrespecting Bush by such horrid name-calling. I take back “blood thirsty pig fucking ruling class shithead.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/102 "2011-01-22T03:26:44Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If the person in question is one you will ever have to talk to again, find out his/her middle name and, henceforth, use it exclusively. (Or, whatever works; some people go by their middle name because their first name is too embarrassing; sometimes, vice-versa.) > [@kidchameleon](#): > > I hear that’s how Lee Harvey Oswald got started. 😉 You mean a giant invisible rabbit put him up to it? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/103 "2011-01-22T03:31:47Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I am moved to contrition by this discussion of disrespecting Bush by such horrid name-calling. I take back “blood thirsty pig fucking ruling class shithead.” And well you should. He didn’t have any class. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/104 "2011-01-22T03:32:49Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > You mean a giant invisible rabbit put him up to it? Nah, wrong [Harvey](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Face). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/105 "2011-01-22T04:02:31Z")
_pfffft_ unless they’ve been \*\*\*BIFF!\*\*\*ed and \*\*\*KAPOWW!\*\*\*ed by West and Ward, they’re not real. In **kaylasdad** -land, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/106 "2011-01-22T16:03:37Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Which has nothing whatsoever to do with fascism. Is not Fascism that school of political thought that holds that communities and societies have rights over the individual? ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/107 "2011-01-22T22:55:51Z")
“Drill here, drill now” or “drill baby drill” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/108 "2011-01-22T23:31:11Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I don’t have any objective way of measuring what goes on in the wide world, but on this MB that statement is absolutely false. The vast majority of snarky, idiotic terminology in political discourse on this MB comes from the left. And since any discussion on this MB of eliminating snarky idiocy in political disucssions is only going to affect the tone of this MB, I think that’s all that really matters. Now we are cooking with heat! Lay 'em on us! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/109 "2011-01-22T23:33:17Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Is not Fascism that school of political thought that holds that communities and societies have rights over the individual? Actually, that’s practically every school of political thought except for anarchism. And you don’t mean “rights,” you mean “powers.” ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/110 "2011-01-23T01:18:14Z")
No, I mean rights. In Islamic thought, the community has a right to not be disturbed for example. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/111 "2011-01-23T12:29:36Z")
Oooh, I got another one. “Under the Bus” or any derivation thereof, which I see \*\*Jackmanii \*\*mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/112 "2011-01-23T13:36:41Z")
Oh, and, [“Algore,”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13174598#post13174598) of course. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/113 "2011-01-23T13:43:46Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > See post #62. It is an objectively true fact, to the extent such thing can exist in political discourse, that the RW has largely (never entirely) cornered the market on terminological/rhetorical idiocy/dishonesty over the past 20 years. That is not my fault, and not the LW’s fault – and very definitely not an accident, either. E.g., see Newt Gingrich’s 2004 GOPAC memo, [“Language: A Key Mechanism of Control.”](http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4443.htm) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/114 "2011-01-23T18:29:07Z")
“The Left” or “The Right”, in capitals, as if there were a Central Committee or something. “Hive Mind” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/115 "2011-01-24T15:41:26Z")
Hardly needs to be mentioned, but any variation on “Wake up, sheeple!” My goodness, I love the word ‘sheeple’. It’s like tattooing ‘I’m a credulous ninny’ on your forehead. ‘Shrub’, to be appreciated, absolutely needs to be said in a laconic Texas accent. Utterly loses its appeal otherwise. _Shruuuuuuub._ Still inappropriate, but pleasanter. I honest to goodness hate ‘teabagger’, though. Yes, someone said it as a mistake, but just as I’m not required to get or appreciate Spongebob-related humor, I don’t expect someone middleaged who doesn’t spend a lot of time online or playing videogames to know what ‘teabagging’ is. I’m not a Tea Partier: I rather like tea and I’m a little upset that they’ve taken over a favorite pastime to compare themselves to a theoretically more honorable cause (though protecting the family smuggling business is only honorable in hindsight), but it’s a bit like baa’ing every time you see **Hal Briston** … …well, I guess I see the appeal then. 😛 Still! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/116 "2011-01-24T15:49:01Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Bush’s own family called him “Shrub”? I am surprised. I did know they called him “Dubya”. No, [“Shrub” was made up by Molly Ivins.](http://www.ontheissues.org/Shrub.htm) **Kimstu** ’s cite doesn’t say what she apparently thought it did. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/117 "2011-01-24T15:52:41Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No, [“Shrub” was made up by Molly Ivins.](http://www.ontheissues.org/Shrub.htm) **Kimstu** ’s cite doesn’t say what she apparently thought it did. > > Regards, > Shodan Ta. That’s more in line with my perception of the nickname. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/118 "2011-01-24T15:57:21Z")
Congress-critters. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/119 "2011-01-24T16:31:54Z")
I think we need to carefully distinguish between terms you’re bone-tired of hearing, like “thrown under the bus”, and terms that brand the user an idiot. “Thrown under the bus” merely brands the user a purveyor of cliche, not a complete idiot. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/120 "2011-01-24T16:44:27Z")
The nickname originated from GeeDubyas first doomed foray into the Texas awl bidness, he named it “Arbusto” which is Spanish for “shrub”. This requires one to believe that GeeDubya had, at some time, something like a sense of humor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381.md?page=7)