Northern Valley Beacon

Information, observations, and analysis from the James River valley on the Northern Plains----- E-Mail: Enter 'Beacon' in subject box. Send to: Minnekota@Referencedesk.org

Thursday, October 27, 2005

 

Dummer than fence posts

First of all, I have trouble with using the word "dumb" to mean "stupid."

"Dumb" refers to the inability to talk. It has a "b" on the end, that few people pronounce. Over the years, people confused the word "dumb" with the word that sounds just like it when you don't prounce the "b." In German, the the word is "dumm," as in "dummkopf," and as in "dummy." In Scandinavian languages, the word is "dimm," as in a head where the lights don't go on.

Secondly, we made it policy not to mention other blogs unless circumstances are unusual. We try not to be redundant with other blogs. But mostly we can't stand the kind of cutesy-pie, self-sucking camaradie that bloggers emit when they go into their "oh-we-are-precious-little-bloggers-all-together" mode. I don't know how to say this. Yes, I do. If I wanted to be a fucking mouseketeer I'd be at Disneyland. And yes, I use that word a lot. It has many occasions. It does not always have to do with sexual intercourse. It also denotes the act of happily making a mess of things. You can trace that denotation from Old English.

I am breaking the rule about mentioning other blogs because of some real demonstrations of dumm. Clean Cut Kid, who is not dumm, had a post about Dick Cheney, who is. The thread got into the really, really dumm war on Iraq. My wife and I were informed through some testy e-mails that we were featured in the one of the comments. Mrs. N. was office manager for the Daschle Aberdeen field office.

The comment made the assertion that the Tom Daschle staff referred to South Dakotans as "local yokels." Now, that statement is dumm. If anyone on his staff had referred to the Senator's constituents in that manner, they would be on the staff no longer. Sen. Daschle required impeccable behavior from his staff members and refused no constituent respectful service, no matter how dumm they might be. And the staff never made any general observations about the mental acuity of voters.

That's my job.

The anonymous commenter is a skulking coward and a true dummkopf. The question is not merely a matter of not having much wattage going through the brain cells. There are many low-watt bulbs out there who illuminate life with character and good will. What is troubling about some people in the political spectrum is that they make things up, like Daschle staff members calling the voters "local yokels." Then, they believe in their lies. And then, they use those lies to justify doing obscene and atrocious things to other members of the human race--such as in the war on Iraq.

They are not merely dumm. They are like domesticated dogs gone feral, getting their thrills from sheep-killing orgies or their verbal equivalents.

You want dumm? Just read some of the regressive right-wing blogs. If you can stand it.

Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home

Archives

May 2005   June 2005   July 2005   August 2005   September 2005   October 2005   November 2005   December 2005   January 2006   February 2006   March 2006   April 2006   May 2006   June 2006   July 2006   August 2006   September 2006   October 2006   November 2006   December 2006  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?