The Atlantic - Latest Comments in Oh how quickly we forget

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Paul Gilmartin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:14:19 -0000

Jingo, point taken BUT I still think these people qualify as "creepy"! I mean, seriously, I live in Oklahoma and there are far too many people who think this way. CREEPY!

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

wtf — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:07:30 -0000

the madness to which these these conservative rightard blowhard fools consistently refer exists in one place only: their own minds

obama supporters like, respect, admire and love and adore him, for being smart, rational, transcendent of our degraded politics, and willing to challenge us to be better

anything beyond that is a figment of the imagination of the haters

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Jingo Killah — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:52:17 -0000

I'd like to point the inflational change in the meaning of the word 'creepy'. It used to embody the guy on the streetcorner with the poor hygiene and scary hair in a raincoat in sunny 72 degree weather. "Look at that guy, he's creepy." Now it can be taken for any behavioral characteristic that one doesn't like. "Look, he farted. Creepy." No. Rude, declasse, but not creepy.

At the risk of sounding creepy, I would like this word to retain its punch, and only describe things that are truly creepy. I don't think an overactive interest in Obama is creepy. And, I don't think hick racists mouthing off is necessarily creepy either. They're a$$h0les, for sure, but one needs that extra kick to get you into creepytown. Otherwise, we're all creeps from some perspective.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Apsaras — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:40 -0000

To be fair, there's something negative about treating any politician like anything more than a civil servant. And yes, some of the "tributes" to Obama have been a bit excessive. (And working in DC, I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can't buy without Obama's face on it, but that's just the free market capitalizing on a trend.)

But all this coming from the crowd that canonized president cowboy actor, well, it's a bit rich. Anyone else remember the first republican debate?

"Well, I'm the most like Reagan because blah blah blah"

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

moppet — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:50:39 -0000

I'm definitely not trying to make an "it's a black thing, you wouldn't understand" comment, but I think that people who are familiar with the concept of "stepping" and step shows didn't find those marching teens that strange. It's not really linked to the military at all, though I can see how it might look that way to someone unfamiliar with that form of dance.

(Was it in Kansas City? For some reason I thought it was a charter school in Cali. I could be wrong.)

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Scott — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:59:13 -0000

The only thing I've seen so far that flipped my "creepy" switch was the seemingly clueless teacher in Kansas City (I think) that had those black teen boys dressed up in BDU's and doing a very militaristic oath based on "because of Obama". The positive message got completely lost because of the marching, saluting, etc.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:53:35 -0000

Yeah, I wasn't trying to bust on him or anything--it was more a friendly jab. Like I said, I thought his article was harmless.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

peep — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:46:42 -0000

Ok, I see your point too, TNC.

JordanT, there certainly were (and there may be even be a few left now!) wackily enthusiastic Bush supporters, but if you can remember back to January 2001, there certainly wasn't the same wide-spread excitement and enthusiam that there is now for Obama. I can think of three obvious reasons for this: 1) many people think Bush was a horrible President and are just thrilled to be rid of him, 2) Barack is a very charismatic guy, and 3) Barack will be the first black President.

I think these are all pretty good reasons to be excited.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

ed — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:44:35 -0000

Ramesh Ponuru is a silly right wing hack: The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life. Anything he writes is automatically suspect.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Frank — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:32:35 -0000

They are scared.

Our President let them down and our country is falling apart and now you want them to trust a man they were trained to be scared of.

it is a scaring thing to look in the mirror and say that

Funny I never heard or hear about how God is in control at times like this.

God is in control.

God bless America

God bless our leaders

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

JordanT — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:23:00 -0000

The media has a narrative and they show clips that enforce the narrative. Out of 300 million people, you don't think we could round up some Bush supporters like this?

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Andrew Sargus Klein — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:16:17 -0000

You didn't need an Obama campaign to bring this out in people. It was there all along—the campaign certainly helped tease it to the surface though. I do think you're toying with semantics a little. I'd chalk it up to poor word choice.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:13:25 -0000

Meh, the analogue is that as much as Obama excites his fans, to the point of madness, he excited his enemies, to the point of madness. I take your point, though.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

peep — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:08:30 -0000

You took this out of context, TNC -- Ramesh is only saying that its been a very long time since there's been this level of enthusiasm/"madness" for an incoming President.

There is no recent analogue to the madness--er, hopefulness--that has seized Obama's fans. Some journalists have been comparing him with F.D.R. and even Lincoln. To find a similar episode of enthusiasm for an incoming President, you might have to go back to 1829.

Re: Oh how quickly we forget

Nob Akimoto — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:05:09 -0000

To be fair, these crazy folks are animated by fear rather than hope.

Maybe the distinction is that one's a positive craziness and the other's a negative one? Still yeah they're kinda creepy...