I saw this yesterday but didn't work up anything on it. Basically it's a lame Style section front-pager from Sunday that fixates on how dull/boring/lame/stupid-sounding the name "Fred" is, and what that means for presumptive GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson.
Fortunately Myra Langerhas of "Snarking Dawg" worked up a snarky blog post and so I thought I'd share that with you. Below is the relevant excerpt from Myra's August 12 entry "What's in a name?"
Myra began by quoting the first seven grafs of staff writer Monica Hesse's August 12 article and then laid out swipe at the author's biases and decidedly liberal cosmopolitan tastes, like joining a bunch of lesbians in "crashing" a "straight bar.":
In the swampy soup of hopefuls for the 2008 presidential election, there is a man with a funny name. (No, not that one.)
We're thinking of the one named Fred (Thompson).
Say it out loud. Do it. Fred. Fred. In the South, Fray-ud.
Fur-red-duh.
It has the tonal quality of something being dropped on the floor, something heavy and damp-ish.
Waterlogged paper towel.
Fred.
Some simple searches of all of the tubes on all of the internetz clearly shows the source of Ms. Hesse's hostility towards the Fred. He doesn't attend many 'Guerilla Queer Bars' . He is certainly not cerebral enough to wite or even read a thesis entitled "Queering the Cannibal: Race and the Eroticizing of Consumptive Narratives in American Literature.". He might even drive an SUV.So, ya know, he's just so outta touch.
Our wonderful and illustrious author [second from left] on the monthly Guerilla Queer Bar jaunt.
Update: Ann Althouse has a good take on her blog (portion in bold is my emphasis).:
Now, back to Monica Hesse. She wrote about the sound of names, and Robin Givhan got all that attention over writing about cleavage. It was mostly criticism, but attracting criticism can be a game worth playing. (Where's my sandwich?)
But the important thing is to do some good analysis! When it comes to politics and aesthetics, I want to stress the distinction between the subjective and the objective. The effect of the word "Fred" on a particular columnist is only significant if it tells us something about how it will affect people in general. What is the psychological effect of a particular name? Most politicians fly under the radar by being named Bill. But even "Bill" has the effect of no effect. Our minds are open to subliminal influence. Look at what care we take naming our babies. We want to give them the advantage of name that has a good subliminal effect on those who hear it. It's worth thinking about how various aesthetic aspects of a candidate -- including his name -- will affect the voters. Actually, talking about these subjective effects can help us make it conscious and therefore overcome the things that shouldn't factor into our decisions.
But there is an objective side to this. What is the candidate doing? Fred Thompson didn't name himself, but Hillary Clinton chose to wear that low-cut top. We should notice when politicians are trying to manipulate us, both so we can overcome the manipulation and because it tells us something about the person doing it. Not everything is intentional. I certainly assume Hillary knew exactly where her breasts were in that top. (The alternative explanation, which I reject, is that she -- and her assistants -- are incompetent.) But Fred has probably been called Fred for decades and has no real way out of being called Fred. It's just his name. It's nothing he's doing, just something that might affect us.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
















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Great. And I just put my
August 13, 2007 - 14:48 ET by Hero SquadGreat. And I just put my "I'm with Fred" bumper sticker on my car this morning. Now the Washington Post tells me it actually means "I'm with Stupid?"
Yeah, OK, sorry. The sticker stays.
*****
"Some people have a way with words. Other people, er, I don't know. Not have way, I guess." - Steve Martin
Oh, Monica...
August 13, 2007 - 14:50 ET by nkviking75Monica Hesse is probably just trying to distract people from snickering at her own first name.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
hess
August 13, 2007 - 15:03 ET by Celumnazsomething about that last name Hess rings a bell...
gives me the *sighs* can spend a year researching positions and history of candidates to pick the best for my vote and some chick goes "His name is 'Fredd'!? Nope I like the name Leeza better with this sweater..."
Edit: not that I'm voting for Fred anyway...
Take a look at the site,
August 13, 2007 - 15:14 ET by USA4freedomTake a look at the site, there are some 56 pages of responses
to the article.
I personally put in 4.
There are some pissed off people that linked from Drudge.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
It’s a new day in the
August 13, 2007 - 15:15 ET by USA4freedomIt’s a new day in the info game!
We see a lot more then we use to..
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
Monica Hess, another left wing wierdo
August 13, 2007 - 15:27 ET by SportPoliticsYes I read the first page of comments there. Another left wing wierdo working for the WaPo. I wonder how they find so many FREAKS.
Again, the entire argument is a smart aleck smart off yap, that we are all supposed to laugh and chuckle about.
That's the entire democrat party platform, smart alecks smarting off with their smarmy lying mouths. Yes, it's oh so funny.
Where's babbleboa he can say he didn't see anything wrong with it, or ask why this lead is here, or spew some stupid comment about some movie hunnie he's been fantasizing about.
Democrats are a joke.
THE NAME
August 13, 2007 - 16:40 ET by TOETHE NAME MYRALANGHERHAS
KIND OF HAS A NICE NAZI RING TO IT YAH?
Fred
August 13, 2007 - 14:57 ET by ChaitealoverSaw this yesterday - another example of the libtards fear of Fred Thompson. All this stabbing at him is making me take a closer look at the man, maybe he is the one to roundly defeat Hillary. They seem to be so concerned about his candidacy that they are trying to derail it before most of the generally-oblivious-to-politics public knows about it. Why?
Those who would expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it - Thomas Paine
IF the MSM hates it...
August 13, 2007 - 15:08 ET by Six String Spiff...Then it MUST be good for the country!
The American Revolution Continued
She gets paid for
August 13, 2007 - 15:19 ET by MidAmericaShe gets paid for the musings of an airhead junior high girl?
Totally unbalanced
August 13, 2007 - 18:06 ET by ThisnThatShe's worse than just an airhead junior high girl. This person is clearly unbalanced. I am just astounded that this kind of drivel can be written -- and then supported by the Wash Post. These lemmings have clearly walked right off that ledge.
In the swampy soup of
August 13, 2007 - 15:20 ET by third eyeIn the swampy soup of hopefuls for the worst article ever written, theres a girl named Monica
We're thinking of the one named Monica.
Say it out loud. Do it. Monica. Monica. In the Oval Office.
Monica
It has the tonal quality of something being dropped on the floor, something plastic and heavy.
A Hoover vaccumm.
Monica
wet vac.. These are the
August 13, 2007 - 18:37 ET by USA4freedomwet vac..
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
So Fred is worse than say...
August 13, 2007 - 15:22 ET by MightyMouthSo "Fred" is worse than say...
"Obama" (rhymes with Osama) or
"Hillary" (the wicked Witch of the East) or
"John" (where you take a pee)?
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
And the silliness goes on
August 14, 2007 - 08:57 ET by Hero SquadRudy? (Can't say "Rude" without it)
Mitt (Mitt? C'mon!)
Dennis (It kinda looks like...)
Ron (Isn't that Spanish for "rum"?)
Duncan (Sounds kinda like "drunken")
Joe (He copied that name from somewhere else)
And the silliness goes on.
*****
"Some people have a way with words. Other people, er, I don't know. Not have way, I guess." - Steve Martin
I actually commented on this one
August 13, 2007 - 18:46 ET by pbthinkerThe Post blog site had numerous pages of comments, on this particular one, and many of them condemning the waste of paper on it.
The poor girl, that wrote this one, took it on the chin about her name. It's sort of like she should have thought about her name, before she started mocking Fred.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
To resort to any of this BS
August 13, 2007 - 18:54 ET by bigtimerTo resort to any of this BS tells one all the need to know about the fear the leftist have...especially the looney leftists of a man named
.....FRED....
ROFLMAO!
Bring it on you Losers!
Hesse..... I wonder if
August 13, 2007 - 20:41 ET by KhyrisKinda funny how she spelled Fred phonetically.... Hesse...
.. I wonder if she's related to Rudolf or Alger. Adding another e or two to her surname isn't fooling anyone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger_Hiss
or heck, it's close enough, even
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hoess
Try saying Alger phonetically....
Allgurrr.... communist traitor bent on the destruction of the United States. Coincidence? I think not.
Bulimia or Brain Death???
August 13, 2007 - 20:55 ET by TinianMonica Hesse (left) really needs instructions on
http://www.mediabist...
how to work a sammich.