When a famous person such as a sports figure demonstrates that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, it can be disarming. When Bob Uecker was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, his legendary speech killed, as comedians say, because of the way he took the mickey out of himself. As a player, he quipped, he would be told to “grab a bat and stop this rally;” he’d sent to the plate without a bat and told to “try for a walk.”
When powerful political figures take the mickey out of themselves it can be a reassuring sign that confidence and humility are in appropriate balance, but there’s no such upside to being a good sport by participating in your opponents’ stereotyping of you. When Sarah Palin appeared on Saturday Night Live last week, she was in a nest of vipers, a participant in an uncomfortable spectacle that only abetted her opponents. When Alec Baldwin told her how “hot” she was, he was arrogant, preening and entirely disingenuous — he didn’t even look at her, instead chewing the horizon of his own significance. Palin’s appearance on the show ended up being an open display of political dominance by entertainment industry Dems.
Barrack Obama will not play the fool for anyone. Last Thursday, at a comedy roast in New York, Barrack Obama performed a routine of sorts that earned him plaudits for being a good sport. What largely escaped notice was that, far from taking the mickey out of himself, he was using the superficial form of a self-roast as an excuse to bring up, and display his pleasure in, his own popularity and success. When he said, addressing the question of what is his greatest weakness, “it’s possible that I’m a a little too awesome,” he was visibly tickled by his own mention of his own awesomeness, in a way that’s inappropriate in decent company, and he was similarly pleased with his vicious ad hominem shot against Rudy Giuliani.
It’s a cultural thing, really. Compare Obama’s and Uecker’s references to their Christlike beginnings: When Uecker recalled “a nativity-type setting…an exit light shining down” and three truckers, one bearing frankfurters, it was akin to a fat old comedian joking about his underwear modeling career — ironic self-deprecation, in other words. When Obama said “Contrary to the rumours you have heard, I was not born in a manger,” the laughs were about power in the room; his unprecedented position as a messiah of sorts to millions of people is the end-result of his lifelong effort to be in that position, so his “joke” was a nod to his own success even as it superficially co-opted the outward form of a good sport engaging in self-deprecation.
When Obama addressed a topic that didn’t provide an opening for him to pay homage to himself — his association with domestic terrorist William Ayers — the chosen one went missing from the punchline, and was replaced: “There was a point in my life when I started palling around with a pretty ugly crowd. I’ve got to be honest, these guys were lowlifes, unrepentant, no-good punks. That’s right, I’ve been a member of the United States Senate.”
John McCain laughed too hard, in a discomfiting way that suggests capitulation as much as good humour. Barrack Obama has arrived, apparently, in all his awesomeness, and everyone is now being called on to be a good sport.
The narcissist is dead serious about himself. He may possess a subtle, wry and riotous sense of humour, scathing and cynical, but rarely is he self-deprecating. The Narcissist regards himself as being on a constant mission, whose importance is cosmic and whose consequences are global.
Lets see.
a) Shes anti-elite, but she wants to dress like the elite.
b) Theres an economic crisis thats hit the grassroots, but she’s using their campaign contributions to dress herself.
c) Its October 22nd. She was inaugurated in early Sept. 7 weeks, $150,000. Thats over 20,000 a week, or $3,000 dollars a day.
d) Neiman Marcus – thats where the average American shops, right?
This is the lady who is going to stand up for the little, dressed in the clothes of the elite. Sounds terribly similar to the Latte left. Its a pretty large amount to spend, especially when its spent by someone who’s supposed to be a refreshing change from the ‘superficial’ elite.
And dexter is backing a junior senator with zero experience in executive management. A close friend of a terrorist who almost made good with killing thousands. A 20 year member of a racist, supremacist church. Involvement in a criminally fraudulent voter registration organization. An employer of racist thugs from the Nation of Islam. A pathological liar. A proponent of murdering children born alive after an unsuccessful abortion attempt. An admitted socialist, trained by communists. Etc.
Compared to that dexter’s criticism of Sarah Palin for the crime of buying clothes is as pathetic as his own existence.
irwin daisy – did mommy not feed you today? You sound like you need some sugar. Low sugar levels often result in
Read my posts. I don’t care who wins. I would prefer McCain winning, but I won’t be crying if Obama wins.
I just really don’t like Palin. She’s a complete poser, bereft of any virtues.
She’s been educated at colleges that have no entry requirements.
She is divisive as hell – “Pro-America parts of America” – a nice way of saying that being American requires being Republican. Yeah, that bodes well for democracy. Thou shalt not diverge from the party line. You know who else says that? Them commies. And you know who lap it up? The useful idiots.
She claims to be anti-elite – then, the moment she gets a chance, she tries to dress like them. How Latte left.
She appeals to small-town Joes – who account for a staggering 20% of the American population, but are glorified beyond belief.
She’s become the mouthpiece of the angry section of the Republicans. Barack “Hussein” Obama. That is a new low – playing on the fringes fear of muslims and arabs. The underlying message – Arabs and Muslims are not equal in the land of opportunity. This is what the founding fathers had in mind.
Her entire approach is straight out of the leftist revolutionary handbook. She represents the little guy against the out – of -touch elite. Sure she does. Thats why shes spending $3,000 dollars a day on her appearance. She would be right at home amongst the Latte left.
“Compared to that dexter’s criticism of Sarah Palin for the crime of buying clothes is as pathetic as his own existence.”
Its funny. I got chided above for being using an acerbic tone, not civil. Stop behaving like a petulant child. If mommy’s not home, learn how to pour yourself a glass of milk and make some toast or something. Poor thing. I do feel for you.
Oops, missed a word. That should read “Low blood sugar levels result in crankiness”. It’ll make sense, once mommy feeds you.
Keep up with that line of attack dexter. It’s really working.
Dont worry, Tim, I don’t expect you to change your views. I think its pretty apparent that ideology has overtaken reason as far as you are concerned. If Obama is the messiah of the left, Palin is the messiah of the right.
Same behavior. Different sides of the spectrum. When it becomes irreconilable – as some nutjob on townhall claims, you might end up on the wrong side of the United States of Canada/Jesusland divide. There were 500 comments on that article, and most of them agreed that America had to split. Palin’s hardly helping – pro-American parts of America. It’s kind of funny. And sad.
I am betting that if blue parts of the US end up in “The United States of Canada” then big parts of the Canadian West end up in “Jesusland.” The whole Jesusland” thing came from the left after the last couple of elections though. Europe was previously known as “Christendom”
Here is a funny stat for you “In 2006, the latest year for which we have Census data, 220 million Americans were eligible to vote and 89 million — 40% — paid no income taxes” These are the people that Obama is claiming “get no tax relief” under McCain’s plan. So if we are living in Christendom, and I will be quick to move, you guys will be living in the “Union of North American Socialist Republics” We will see after the tenth UNASR five year plan whether Jesusland is doing better.
And what does snark and an attempt by you, dexter, to gin up envy or divisiveness regarding Sarah Palin’s clothes have to do with reason?
“Europe was previously known as Christendom”
So, ‘Jesusland’ or whatever name its given will become like Europe – Social welfare, anti-semitism, nanny state and all? I am really not sure what you are getting at. Isn’t Christendom anti-thetical to Jesusland – for the most part the former is associated with the Catholic Church. Besides, if Christendom is what you aspire to be, why did the first pilgrims come to North America to escape religious persecution. Either your history is really bad, or my history is really bad. Correct me if I am wrong.
I find it interesting that you refuse to fault Palin’s divisive populist methods. The more attention you pay to it, the more it looks like a marxist paradigm – Average small town Joe (Lower/Middle class) v/s the nefarious urban (upper middle/upper class) elite. To top it off, she has basically trashed the notion of a democracy – if you don’t support Palin, you are not pro-American. Whatever happened to freedom of opinion and different visions of America. When did everything become so black and white?
“”In 2006, the latest year for which we have Census data, 220 million Americans were eligible to vote and 89 million — 40% — paid no income taxes””
Yes, another repeated talking point. Stop them from voting. No representation without taxation. I don’t really care. I know there is a tendency to assume they all vote for Obama, but I suspect the divide is a lot more even, particularly in some of the poorer Red States. I don’t know how to interpret this particular stat, but I would assume that there is a minimum taxable amount- guess 40% of America is pretty damn poor. Correct me if I’m wrong.
“you guys will be living in the “Union of North American Socialist Republics” We will see after the tenth UNASR five year plan whether Jesusland is doing better.”
Lets see, you get Alberta – throw in BC too. And Saskatchewan. We get California. You can subsidize the farmers, while we subsidize the poor. I think you might be worse off. Californias economy alone is on par, if not larger than Canada’s. And Quebec has lots of hydroelectrcity, should cut their energy costs. Hmmm.
Thou shalt not criticize Palin. I bet that ’11th commandment” will be added to the “Ten commandments” monuments outside Christendom government property.
Ideology, ideology, ideology. Try reason some time.
THE BILL
$75,062 spent at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis
$41,850 spent in St Louis
$4,100 on make-up and hair consulting
$4,902 at Atelier, a men’s clothing shop in New York
$92 on a romper suit and hat with ears
“It is not the first time a political candidate has come under scrutiny for spending large sums of dollars on improving his or her image.
Senator Hillary Clinton’s expensive trouser suits provoked comment, while former presidential candidate John Edwards was criticised for his $400 haircuts. Even Mr McCain’s $500 Italian leather loafers have been noted.
However, if this type of spending was poorly-received before, it may go down very badly indeed with voters in the present economic climate.”
So, Tim.
Dexter = Gayle
dexter,
You are talking about emotions like envy and class resentment and yet you claim that I am beyond reason. Clearly you believe that an appeal to emotion is an appeal to reason. I am willing to bet that you have no idea what I am talking about too, or will pretend so.
“guess 40% of America is pretty damn poor. Correct me if I’m wrong.”
The cutoff before you pay almost no federal taxes is approximately US $50k. Seriously, that is why Obama’s claim is such a joke. Pretty damn poor doesn’t even come in to it. But obviously you are so ignorant of the issues in the US that it is pointless to talk to you about it. Keep watching the CBC and listening to Radio Canada, I am sure they will give you all the selective facts you need to maintain your opinions.
I am talking about emotions like envy and class resentment? Nope. Palin is. Thats her entire campaign. Representing the little guy or Joe Sixpack or whatever against the Liberal Elite.
“But obviously you are so ignorant of the issues in the US”
Congratulations. The only thing you could catch me out on was a technicality where I admitted beforehand that I didn’t know the details. All I know is that circa 40million Americans live in poverty – don’t know how many of them can vote.
Sorry, don’t watch the CBC. Actually thats a lie. I do. The Tudors is a great show. Hardly a fact-providing one, though. Sorry, don’t listen to Radio Canada either. Or Radio, for that matter.
So tell me – good American that you are -still plotting a breakup of the country into Christendom and USNR?
EBD = Gayle
(ps – EBD, what is the point of this exercise? What/Who is Gayle?)
“circa 40 million Americans live in poverty”
That is what you got from the exchange? That an income of US $50k is poverty? You really are an idiot if that is what you believe. You truly do not understand how progressive the US income tax is. It is more than a minor technical misunderstanding.
As for breaking up America, if you do a little research into the history of “jesusland”, you will see that it is a liberal fantasy invented after Kerry lost. The name “Jesusland” just reminded me of the archaic name for Europe, Christendom. They both mean the same thing. I assure you that if it were a “right wing fantasy” the name wouldn’t be “Jesusland.” But you wouldn’t be able to understand that either.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesusland_map
I don’t pay American taxes, so what do I care.
I would prefer a McCain win because of his foreign policy, but the domestic issues rarely appeal to me. Two dudes getting married? I don’t care.
My misgivings about Palin, on the other hand, are primarily because she is heartbeat away from the presidency. She may not be left-wing, but she’s a populist, and like pretty much every ‘average Joe’ turned populist leader, she will grossly miscomprehend the consequences of her actions. Populists rarely know what they are doing. They depend on their ability to divide between the downtrodden and the successful. And that division, once created, is hard to bridge. The victims will always see themselves as victims. Palin has given Joe Six Pack license to blame all his failings on those who are more successful than him.