September 21, 2004
SHOVE IT
When George W. Bush misspeaks, it’s because he’s an idiot. But when Teresa Heinz Kerry says something stupid ...
Despite her linguistic prowess and her worldliness, Heinz Kerry has, at times, a deaf ear for the nuances of slang, code, condescension, and vulgarity in English—for the emotion of the language. “There are these bizarre moments that make you shudder,” the Kerry adviser said. “Like calling herself African-American to black audiences.” She dismissed voters skeptical of her husband’s health-care proposals as “idiots,” and, in a television interview with a Pittsburgh anchorwoman, employed the word “scumbags” to describe some of her detractors.
Thank you, New Yorker, for investigating the Teresa Paradox.
Posted by Tim Blair at September 21, 2004 12:51 PMBut she's multi-cultural! All things can be forgiven if one is multi-cultural.
Posted by: Wallace-Midland, Texas at September 21, 2004 at 01:13 PMShe is African-American - she comes from that area.
I don't understand all the hulabaloo.
Posted by: Sandy P at September 21, 2004 at 01:21 PMYes, but if she can't even get this culture right, god only knows what she's doing to those poor Africans...
Posted by: richard mcenroe at September 21, 2004 at 01:21 PM"Teresa Paradox" as in "Our political discourse is getting uncivil and unAmerican...Hey, I didn't say unAmerican, so shove it!" Teresa Heinz Kerry?
Posted by: c at September 21, 2004 at 01:22 PMhmm, but she isn't the president...her's isn't the finger on the button, so what if she can't grasp our culture. Neither does Bush. cowboy politics yeeehaaa
Posted by: Jim at September 21, 2004 at 01:33 PMWhy haven't we heard from former servants of hers? I mean, what good is it being a disgruntled former butler if you can't lay out the dish?
Posted by: Bruce Rheinstein at September 21, 2004 at 01:35 PMHeinz Kerry has, at times, a deaf ear for the nuances of slang, code, condescension, and vulgarity in English...
Guess she and hubby aren't talking much at home, or that really shouldn't be a problem.
Posted by: PW at September 21, 2004 at 02:26 PMIt's kind of a cliche' to say so, but I really do like her. Vulgarity and hatred get a bad rap in my opinion. She's also such a refreshingly genuine person, particularly when compared to her husband.
That being said, I think only an "idiot" would want her representing the U.S. as first lady.
Posted by: DrZin at September 21, 2004 at 02:38 PMMartha Mitchell is back, and this time, it's personal....!
Posted by: richard mcenroe at September 21, 2004 at 02:54 PMVery good Richard! I'd forgotten about her. Although Ms Mitchell had a deaf ear for the nuances of anything. and everything. She was a walk on the wild side. But a refreshing wild side. I bet she never went out with the "Tides".
Posted by: YoJimbo at September 21, 2004 at 04:16 PMI like the suggestion that Terry Kerry has "a deaf ear for the nuance of...condescension and vulgarity," and that's considered a defense, or explanation, of her behavior!
I always thought condescension and vulgarity were most effective when expressed in a straightforward, up front manner. Leave it to the Kerry's to introduce "nuance" to arrogance and expletives!
Posted by: Forbes at September 21, 2004 at 04:16 PMso many of my daily choices are shades of gray.
Thank you Mrs. Ketchup for making the math easy.
Hmmm... scum-bag, funny, I dont feel like a condom full of semen.
So, when she was married to the Republican Ketchup King, was she then a Republican, and so all Democrats were scum-bags and idiots?
Dont give this money-laden twit a second thought.
Heinz Kerry has, at times, a deaf ear for the nuances of slang, code, condescension, and vulgarity in English...
Sounds like the reporter is the one with the deaf ear for the nuances of condescension.
"New Yorker Magazine Quotes Teresa Heinz Kerry Out Of Context"
..........
"Heinz Kerry said, "Oh, there is a lot of scumbags everywhere. Not just in politics. In everything. There are a lot of immoral people everywhere."
The author of the New Yorker article was allowed by Heinz Kerry to observe the original interview as it was taped.
The magazine did contact Channel 4 Action News to confirm the quote, but the context in the final article gave different shading to the meaning of the remarks."
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/3746644/detail.html
Via http://www.drudgereport.com/
Posted by: Christian Lindhardt-Larsen at September 21, 2004 at 08:07 PMFirst we were "idiots," and now we're "scumbags." I'm going to love it when she descends into South Park terminology and we become "ass-spelunkers" and (perhaps appropriately, given party symbols) "donkey-rapers."
Posted by: Sean M. at September 21, 2004 at 08:13 PM> Despite her linguistic prowess and her worldliness, Heinz Kerry has, at times, a deaf ear for the nuances of slang, code, condescension, and vulgarity in English—for the emotion of the language.
The New Yorker has a deaf ear for what emotion is. Theresa's tricks are entirely rational. She offends who she wants.
Posted by: Ron Hardin at September 21, 2004 at 09:35 PMYeah, Christian, the full quote, that she thinks the world is full of scumbags, casts her in a much better light.
Posted by: R C Dean at September 21, 2004 at 10:55 PMWhy is she not an African-American? She was actually BORN there, unlike most of the people who use that term who wouldn't know Africa if it bit them in the arse.......
Posted by: Crusader at September 22, 2004 at 02:08 AMYou're right Crusader. However, you're letting logic get the best of you. Up here in Yankville, white African-Americans don't er,call themselves African-Americans. It's a question of "nuance". It's also ground that the race hustlers have been mining for years. "Race plays a part in everything in America" I hope that clears it up.
Posted by: YoJimbo at September 22, 2004 at 02:53 AMDo black men from Britain tick "British" box or "African-American" box?
Posted by: Quentin George at September 22, 2004 at 08:10 AM