William Rivers Pitt: It's Called (facepalm)

[babylonsister]

It's Called (facepalm)

Wednesday 25 August 2010

by: William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed


(Image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: hobvias sudoneighm, Luis Mariano González, cobalt123)


I've been online for a number of years now, in forums and chat rooms and in the reply sections of online articles, and the jargon has never failed to crack me up. Much of it has entered the modern lexicon, thanks to the nimble fingers of a million texting teenagers. Hell, nine letters - OMG WTF LOL - makes for a whole sentence nowadays. Once upon a time, back when I was teaching English Literature, I thought the rise of online/phone-typed conversation would bring about a new Age of Letters, where the written word would once again reign supreme over the forces of monosyllabic dialog...but no, it led instead to a novel form of shorthand, some of which is pointed enough to carry an entire conversation within a single word. My favorite of these, by far and away, is (facepalm). The Urban Dictionary defines it thusly:

The act of dropping one's face/forehead into one's hand. Usually accompanied by a "thunk" or a cry of "D'oh!" Similar to (headdesk)...The only logical answer to a stupid question or statement.

(facepalm) is quite possibly the best bit of slang the internet has wrought (short of "FAIL," which speaks for itself), and by far and away the best and only reaction to some of the stuff we hear in the news these days. It just works so well. Take, for example, a recent field report put forth by Wonkette about an anti-Muslim protest near the site of the proposed Cordoba House facility several thousand feet away from the site of the former World Trade Center.

Now, I'm no stranger to the spelling adventures of right-wing protest-sign pen-wielders. We've all seen the miraculously hilarious "Get A Brain! Morans" sign. I personally chronicled the following legendary slice of stupid - Best sign so far: a guy holding a placard reading "Remember when dissent was patriotic?" Except he spelled it "dessent," and had crossed out the incorrect "e" and penned in an "i." Poetry. - while blogging a Palin/Teabagger event in Boston back in April. The phenomenon is ubiquitous, and gives me hope; if these people can't spell their way out of a paper sack, they're not likely to get organized enough to take over the country (again).

But this...this is just beyond the beyond. Here are these madding crowds in an absolute froth to defend GROUND ZERO (please note the spelling). We all know what GROUND ZERO is, what it means, and people of good conscience can disagree over whether or not a Muslim community center should be built a couple of football fields away from GROUND ZERO. But if you're going to chuck up a virulently anti-Constitutional, anti-First-Amendment protest with signs as a means to defend your interpretation of the sanctity of GROUND ZERO...well...you might want to work on your spelling:

Did you spend the weekend rocking out to the Mosquetard anthem "Keep Your Hands To Yourself"? Well then maybe you've already noticed this special part of the video, at 0:39, when the Doofus Forces of Justice raise this banner in support of "Groud Zero, the monument to terrorism!"

America's differently-abled freedumb fighters tend to have trouble spelling the dumb shit on their signs and banners and trucks, but this particular piece of visual evidence also calls into question their comprehension of the supposedly Hallowed Ground of the WTC site. Is it truly a "monument to terrorism"? And if so, does that mean these wingnut slobs are actually protecting Islam and America's Muslims from being associated with this nation's vile "monument to terrorism," which is the "Groud Zero" home of 9/11?

Yup. "Groud."

(facepalm)

more...

http://www.truth-out.org/its-called-facepalm62625

[trumad]

1. Hilarious...

K&R

[rocktivity]

2. .

rocktivity

[Skink]

3. I'll see that and raise one twitter.

[Chulanowa]

4. I'll let Mr. Welles speak for me on this article