The G.O.P.’s Post-Tucson Traumatic Stress Disorder -- Frank Rich

[Félix]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/opi...

The Republicans are adrift with a shortfall of substance, offering the president a golden chance to seize the moment.

[Michael]

Good article.

How is "Fad" defined? "Glenn Beck’s ratings at Fox News continued their steady decline, falling to an all-time low last month. He has lost 39 percent of his viewers in a year and 48 percent of the prime 25-to-54 age demographic."

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Interesting, I didn't know Beck's numbers were in such a decline.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com...

Above is a Glenn Beck clip that Michael Moynihan calls "the dumbest thing ever broadcast on (non-cable access) television." If you've never tuned into Beck's show, it's worth watching, because you might be under the misimpression that he's just a Bill O'Reilly-style blowhard, or that he just regurgitates GOP talking points like Sean Hannity.

Only after grasping his singular madness can you comprehend why the most vexing passage from his monologue is this:

I'm not going to give you the two minute sound-byte. I'm not going to treat you like you're a moron. I'm going to treat you like you really do want to understand what's going on in the world. We'll piece this thing together. It's going to take a few days. But I invite you to DVR this show every night. Don't miss an episode. Tell your friends, "Don't miss an episode." This is important stuff.

[RandomAnthony]

You know, I appreciate what this guy is saying, but I wish he or whomever wrote the headline hadn't used the phrase "traumatic stress disorder" in such a flip manner. I have PTSD and him associating PTSD with 1) a group he dislikes and 2) something that isn't PTSD at all, not even remotely close, trivalizes it. It's an interesting issue. Some illnesses, e.g. cancer, have become part of the metaphorical language without too much fallout ("he's a cancer to his team") but others have not. I doubt this PTSD reference was meant to be offensive, but it's ignorant.

[Félix]

I agree. It's an unfortunate choice of terms.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I find "a cancer to his team" offensive, myself. As I do metaphorical references to rape.

[Ken]

I think most anything is permissible as metaphor. Utilization of strong or intensely charged language to create a powerful metaphor strikes me as an often valuable or forceful communication technique or artistic tool.

It’s just that there are felicitous metaphors, and then there are really, really stupidly conceived and stupidly executed ones.