On Analogies

Last week's Pub Quiz saw the apotheosis of a team of regulars, which put me in mind of the recent "Lipstick on a Pig"-Gate in the sad farce that is American political discourse. If only political operatives and the pseudo-press that covers them were as adept at interpreting analogies as they are at getting their faces on the television. My example:

Team #1 Porcine Rainbow Party managed to win the overall score for the 1st time, even if they didn't win the jackpot. What was notable to me was that their team also consisted of more women than men for the 1st time in a while. I found myself musing that maybe you can put lipstick on a pig and make it a winner. So I guess there are definitely some sexist undertones to that homespun analogical drivel, but let me be clear in the is case:  Extra women = Lipstick,  A team that usually scores 24 = The Pig.

So I'm pretty sure when Barack Obama accuses the McCain camp's attempts at co-opting the mantle of CHANGE as putting "lipstick on a pig," it's pretty clear that Sarah Palin is at worst being called the lipstick that is being applied to the pig of the Republican platform.  There is no way that the honorable governor of Alaska was being called a pig in that analogy - she's the item being added in the analogy not the status quo. Is it too much to ask for rhetorical skills in a campaign?  Now if Obama had said that the McCain party was trying to put a pig in a dress when they selected their VP candidate that would be a different story...But I digress.

Team #1 Porcine Rainbow Party also won round 4 and provided us these categories:

• Total Recall
• The 6th Day
• Conan the Barbarian
• Kindergarden Cop
• The Eraser
• Commando
• Austrian-Born Governors of California
• NFC West
• Buffy
• 90210 (2.0)
• Barely Legal
• Eliza Dushku
• The Simpsons
• Scotch Whisky
• Gallup, New Mexico
• Fall TV Line-Up
• Playwrights
• Mechanical Engineering
• Depressing Children's Novels
• Lithuanian Language
• Indie Music
• Southern England
• European Geography
• Australia
• The/Rapists
• That's What She Said

There's a lot of chaff on that threshing floor, but overall some juicy categories.

Results:

 

Porcine Rainbow Party - 32.5

Just Cause We Work With Athletes Doesn't Mean We're Dumb, Too – 31

We’re Nihilists, We Don’t Care if We Win – 29

We Hold Our Purple Bags While We Turn Our Heads And Cough – 28

Humpday Hooligans – 26.5

The John Quincy Asskickers Reunion Tour Except Without Claire & Jeff But With Kevin – 25.5

Earmark Jake & Chris – 25.5

Tim’s Biatches – 25.5

Fuck Yeah! – 25.5

Comments

[Catfish]

WHRRRBLGGRBBLLL!!!

[Ben]

By my count there were three men, three women on our team.

What do you know about Shane that I don't?