# Can we please get past this "-gate" convention every time some scandal occurs? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 25, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098 "2006-06-25T17:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/41 "2006-06-26T17:40:20Z")
Whitewatergate was only mildly clever because it at least had the word water in it. All the rest of them are stupid and need to go away. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/42 "2006-06-26T18:02:39Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Sorry guys, it’s part of the language now. You might as well pit the tides for all the good it’ll do. [/QUOTE] Agreed. You may as well try and stop the wind. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/43 "2006-06-26T18:46:53Z")
[QUOTE=Terrifel] –and I believe it was actually “Monicagate.” “Lewinskygate” just sounds goofy. [/QUOTE] …and Fellategate would have been better. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/44 "2006-06-26T19:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] I am not actually a fan of the whole “-gate” naming. But that is what it is called. What else can I call it? [/quote] I nominate Y.A.R.S. – **Y** et **A** nother **R** ight-wing **S** crewup. It’s hardly a surprise that the various -gates listed in the OP are either trivial nonsense blown out of proportion or genuine nation-threatening screwups perpetuated by the folks on the right. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/45 "2006-06-26T21:53:16Z")
[QUOTE=Governor Quinn] Not really, [Koreagate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreagate) came in 1976. [/QUOTE] And yet it still hadn’t caught on completely at the time of [Abscam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/46 "2006-06-26T22:18:05Z")
[QUOTE=rjung] I nominate Y.A.R.S. – **Y** et **A** nother **R** ight-wing **S** crewup. It’s hardly a surprise that the various -gates listed in the OP are either trivial nonsense blown out of proportion or genuine nation-threatening screwups perpetuated by the folks on the right. [/QUOTE] Whitewatergate was a right-wing screwup…how exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/47 "2006-06-26T22:20:56Z")
Aside from Kenneth Starr’s bungling of the investigation, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/48 "2006-06-26T22:44:57Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar] Whitewatergate was a right-wing screwup…how exactly? [/QUOTE] Actually, he was responding to post #36, which was still about trying to find a different name for “Nipplegate”. And of course, it was so clearly a Right Wing Conspiracy[sup]TM[/sup] that caused Justin to expose Janet’s nipple… The plan was set in motion years before. It was even being plotted during the Reagan administration. Ronnie: “Well, George… Don’t tell Nancy, but I really want to see Janet Jackson’s tits. Do you think you can make this happen for me?” George: “Um… yep… not sure I can do it. Wouldn’t be prudent at this juncture. But I’ll mention it to my son…” ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/49 "2006-06-27T00:58:49Z")
Originally Posted by Governor Quinn Not really, Koreagate came in 1976. And yet it still hadn’t caught on completely at the time of Abscam. Was “Koreagate” actually called that at the time? Or was it retrospectively called that? I feel like that if I had titled my OP with “What is the fallout of the Wardrobe Malfunction two years later?” no blood would have been spilled here. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/50 "2006-06-27T04:08:20Z")
Oh, man, I hate the ‘gate’ thing. Please, people, come with something else already. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/51 "2006-06-27T19:47:42Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar] Whitewatergate was a right-wing screwup…how exactly? [/QUOTE] Since the Clintons were found innocent of the accusations of real estate hanky-panky vis-a-vis Whitewater, that falls under “trivial nonsense blown out of proportion,” with an order of partisan witchhunt on the side. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/52 "2006-06-27T20:25:17Z")
Heaven forbid if the Dems start engaging in such partisan nonsense as well… :rolleyes: Eh…Screw’em all. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/53 "2006-06-27T20:50:58Z")
[QUOTE=cuauhtemoc] One major scandal that seems to have escaped “gate-ism” is the Iran-Contra affair. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but “Iran-Contra,” which has become the dominant moniker for that business, is really pedestrian. I strongly favored another moniker, which was bandied around a bit at the time “Iran Amok”. It was clever, and captured how silly and how out of control the NSC and the Reagan Administration was at the time (A cake shaped like a Bible???), but alas, it didn’t stick. Sua ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/54 "2006-06-27T20:56:01Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] **Can we please get past this “-gate” convention every time some scandal occurs?** [/QUOTE] Why mess with success? ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/55 "2006-06-28T21:04:43Z")
So if some farmers in northern Pennsylvania got into trouble over misuse of water from Lake Erie for watering their crops, would they call it “Erie-gate?” ---
**Author:** ![bagkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ab992/32.png) [@bagkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bagkitty)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/56 "2006-06-28T22:12:27Z")
The solution is simple, if we kill off all the Boomers (who are so enamoured of the term) then the whole “gate” thing disappears. I would suggest doing so, but it would probably violate a rule or something like that. Kill all the boomers… in that gen[eration]o-cide, or vermicide? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098/57 "2006-06-29T21:33:31Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] Was “Koreagate” actually called that at the time? Or was it retrospectively called that? [/QUOTE] The earliest reference to the Tongsun Park scandal being called “Koreagate” that I can find on Lexis-Nexis is from the Washington Post, on July 2, 1977. There are 61 other references to it as such between then and December 1980 on Lexis-Nexis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-please-get-past-this-gate-convention-every-time-some-scandal-occurs/362098.md?page=2)