Comments on: Skibbereen Eagle how are ya

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:29:37 +0000

When the pollsters first missed the mark in Iowa, the social media research company I work for decided to see if the blogosphere was as wrong as the traditional media. Using a more primitive version of our current methodology, we were pleasantly surprised to see that a measurement of blog sentiment and activity would have correctly (if narrowly) predicted an Obama win. Our theory as to why this is: people so engaged in the political process that they publicly blog about their favorite candidates could fairly represent those who are engaged enough to vote in the primaries and caucuses at all. We followed 5 states for Super Tuesday and made overall and specific predictions, which can be found here, if you’re interested:

http://blog.collectiveintellect.com/2008/02/05/super-tuesday-blogosphere-predicts-mccain-obama-as-winners/

By: Nathaniel

Nathaniel — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:40:36 +0000

It was clearly a joke, but although I feel a little guilty at the cheapness of laughing at bad English, it’s a pretty well-done parody. And I wouldn’t call it “warmed-over Borat” because it’s far more prudish and Justin Smith makes the wise decision to stick to politics, or a version thereof.

For comparison, read Eduard Limonov in the Exile.

In fact, concerning annoying precedents, I sense more of a kinship to that narrator/driver in Everything is Illuminated, although this is an older and, as I said, more political voice.

By: Mrs Tilton

Mrs Tilton — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:01:28 +0000

Novakant @18,

there was a French comedy show back in the late 80s, IIRC, that had a character (an actual American, I belive) whose shtick was speaking French with an exaggerated American accent.[FN1] So yes, this is pretty much one of those universals, I think.

[FN1] And as such, completely unrealistic. As everybody knows, Americans cannot speak French at all, but do so in flawless Parisian accents.

By: novakant

novakant — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:03:27 +0000

Never liked Borat – he crossed the fine line between satire and defamation.

That said, the non-english speaking world makes fun of english-only speakers all the time, particularly Americans, as captured in this timeless classic; it’s just that for obvious reasons they don’t notice it.

By: Mrs Tilton

Mrs Tilton — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:45:30 +0000

One clue that it isn’t real was Justin Smith’s by-line at the top.

Lemuel @4,

of course mocking foreigners’ funny English can degenerate into outright xenophobia. So yes, I can see how one might have some slight uneasiness with the practice. But there’s no need for that uneasiness, I think, where the foreigners themselves are holding themsleves out as accomplished English-speakers, as for example in the case of English As She Is Spoke; or in the case of an official translation from a government ministry, had that been what the 3QD piece really was (but, so infinitely sadly, was not).

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:30:38 +0000

Luke—to quibble in return: My statement was that “FDR won 3 elections in a row before the US entered the war”, and your comment does not contradict this.

In any case, those of us from the Eastern Hemisphere would put the start of that Second World War well before August 1939. Japanese fascist troops occupied China in July 1937, and there had been sporadic fighting between the two countries through the 1930s.

By: Luke

Luke — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:20:54 +0000

Peter, to quibble: FDR won two elections prior to the war. The Fall of France solidified his 1940 run, and to a degree, his 1940 victory once Wilkie was the nominee. It’s certainly a wartime election, though US troops weren’t marching and American bombs weren’t falling (from American planes).

Just ‘cause I’m a lil contrarian

By: Bloix

Bloix — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:12:27 +0000

Oh, I thought it was hilarious. But I was the guy at the Borat movie who was laughing so hard he almost choked to death. I went with my teenage boys and every five minutes they had to elbow me in the ribs and say, DAD!

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:19:27 +0000

“The only president in American history to have held on his power more than two terms was Franklin Roosevelt. And he was cripple! He stayed long because of war-time situation, not strength.

Well, FDR won 3 elections in a row before the US entered the war, so I would credit a fair amount of his electoral appeal to “strength”.

By: Warren Terra

Warren Terra — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:11:48 +0000

I’m with bloix: warmed-over Borat. It’s been done before (and before Sascha Baron Cohen did it, too), and it’s never really that funny.

By: Bloix

Bloix — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:06:24 +0000

Looks like Borat found a new job.

By: Jacob Christensen

Jacob Christensen — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:26:57 +0000

@lemuel pitkin: Actually, poking fun at foreigners who get your language wrong is an old and popular pastime in all countries. The Swedes, for example, like to poke fun at the Finns.

The fun stops when the foreigners are from an inglisj-spiking kåntri, though, in whits case we traj to adapt our way of spiking.

PS: Centrifuge man, anyone?

By: Righteous Bubba

Righteous Bubba — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:07:32 +0000

It’s fake. My link however, is gloriously real.

By: lemuel pitkin

lemuel pitkin — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:05:13 +0000

Is this really, really real?

No. Not even a little real.

By: roac

roac — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:57:31 +0000

I dunno. Is this really, really real? The “I Heart Huckabee’s” reference seems too good to be true.