With an Axis of Evil composed of Rogue Nations threatening the world with a trinity of Atomic, Biological, and Chemical Weapons, the battle for the rhetorical supremacy was all but secured. It wasn't exactly a covert operation, but apparently adequate.
And then the "so-called" representative Bob of the "so-called" Republican party along with his launch bullies had to shine the 200W spotlight on ill-conceived rhetoric. Freedom Fries. Ay caramba! Bush's rhetorical helpers must be cursing themselves to sleep tonight.
This is linguistic path lit bright for the common man to ponder the whole array of rhetorical devices being used by a lot of Stupid White Men. It's quote treat for straw man arguments. And it's the incarnation of everything Europeans are accusing the American government for: Arrogance, diplomatic retaliations, hot-headiness. You name it.
I still can't bring myself to pronounce it without a smile of disbelief. Freedom Fries. Yes, this is almost victory gin.
Challenge by JF on March 13, 16:01
It's humor. Workplace fun. We all do it. Big deal. The joke is on the people who are taking this seriously.
That's a pretty high stake game of irony, then. And one which seem to be lost on all of the media outlets reporting this. I haven't seen humor being mentioned even once. And I really do doubt that this gang of republicans are capable of this type of advanced irony.
No, sorry. I can't bring myself to think that media concious congressmen would do this for kicks. Much cheaper thrills are available.
Challenge by JF on March 13, 16:28
And I really do doubt that this gang of republicans are capable of this type of advanced irony.
That's awfully cynical (and as equally condenscending as the whole "Freedom Fries" movement). How do you come to this conclusion? Do you know these people? People who only think they are capable of irony (and/or humor) are the ones who need to lighten up.
This is a media stunt. That's all. It's all in good fun.
BTW: I've never voted Repub so this defence isn't rooted in any investment or loyalty I have towards the party. It's rooted in objectivity and common sense.
Political parties are obvious targets for lush generalizations and my generalizations are likewise tilted by the opinion I hold against Bush and his administration. So no, I don't know for certain that this isn't a clever piece of ironic happening.
But first of all, we don't know this to be a display of irony. And secondly, even if it's "all in good fun", I can't believe why congress and its members would risk endagering an already fragile diplomatic balance.
I have seen nothing indicating the Freedom Fries to be a joke. The fast food outlet where the idea originated has a sign in the window saying "Because of Cubbie's support for our troops, we no longer serve french fries. We now serve freedom fries" (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/02/19/offbeat.freedom.fries.ap/).
The owner of the outlet states that his intent is "to take a patriotic stance to show his support for the United States and the actions of President Bush."
The republican responsible for the namechange in the House of Representatives' cafeterias states that the change is "a small but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2842493.stm).
If this is an attempt humour, it's very well concealed.
Challenge by JF on March 14, 18:48
People, this is a name change on a menu! Deep fried potato stripes are now called something else in certain places. Are you really taking this seriously? Come on. Get over it.
The feeble attempt to pass this supposedly symbolic renaming of french fries off as being a practical joke is pathetic. Now, it's not that I can't appreciate why it would be easier for you if this incident was a joke, but unfortunately, you as well as everyone else knows that it is not. Obviously in the eyes of some americans - although absurd it may sound - this is a political statement. So instead of trying to make everyone feel like they probably took this whole incident to serious, just accept the fact, that the patriotism in the US in some instances has gone beyond any reason. Freedom Fries for christ sake..
Challenge by JF on March 15, 17:15
Fixated on a menu and fried potato strips. Wow. That's hardcore. Get over it and move on to something more important, more pressing. Something that really matters.
