What do you think of a new phrase for 'integrity' = SHOWING APPLES.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

(This is my response to someone who didn't like using 'having balls or a pair' used to mean boldness because of the gender specificity.)

We need a metaphor for INTEGRITY, not aggression. That's the challenge. And integrity is universally accepted as those character traits that are good for everyone, or 'family values.'

Sorry for the additional linguistic concerns, but gender and family framing are primal and relevant to describing community as an extended family. And shorthand words are part of clear communication. Think of the political charge in the expression 'family values.'

Please read linguist George Lakoff's ideas about the way words frame the way we transfer primal family issues into politics. He has advised Howard Dean and John Kerry on the importance of language use in reaching people and making them react.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml

In a nutshell: We either endorse the Republican 'Strong Father' image or Democratic 'Nurturing Mother' image of how government should work.

You might be uncomfortable with attributing aggression with testosterone and testes but that is biology science. Not sure how to get around that one factually. Especially when two men are competing for a leadership positon. Straight out of our evolutionary primate heritage.

So a phrase that represents the balance of both parent's gender qualities of male aggression and female nurturance.

We could call Bush* a 'deadbeat dad' for not responsibly and competently taking care of the American family.

But what do you call a man who accuses him of this crime? Hmmmm.
All the competitive metaphors and similes are war and sports stuff, traditionally very male-oriented. We need to include the traditionally female-oriented virtues of education, nurturing, compassion, all important attributes of life-affirming integrity.

How about using education lingo to image wisdom, intellect, and evolutionary progress? All that liberal progressive stuff that is the opposite of Mr "what's the difference" Bush*?

I'm thinking of our latest anti-neocon whistleblowers like Sibel Edmunds, Colleen Rowley, and Karen Kwiatkowski.

Suggestion:

Replace testes with 'apples.' This combines all these images-action inducing testosterone, apple for the teacher, biblical fruit of knowledge, apple a day keeps the doctor away, Mom and apple pie, and more.

So 'APPLES' is a morphing of testes + knowledge = BOLD WISDOM
Or responsibly informing the community = FAMILY VALUES
So imagine saying: "He's really showing his apples."
I thind it can work for both genders.
What do you think?

[KissMyAsscroft]

1. How about this..

Tell these whiny feminist types to deal with it.

BALLS. I have BALLS.

We aren't going to cover the world in bubble wrap and drive nerf cars because some feminists don't like our terminology.

How the hell could you look at America right now and get upset over someone using the term balls...good god.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

3. I share your impatience with euphemisms. But I want to improve on the idea

by adding the quality of integrity, not just aggression.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Common gender-neutral expression already exists

"they've got guts"

[JohnOneillsMemory]

4. Good point. Though messy. Again, I want to improve on the idea of

Again, I want to improve on the idea of acting recklessly and promote the value of informed behaviours.

aggression = 'just do it'
INTEGRITY = 'DO IT WELL'

This about integrating the left brain/right brain and gender polarities to ENHANCE EVOLUTION.

I was spurred to think about this from reading Leonard Schlain's writing about how evolution of the relationship between the sexes has fueled our behaviour and progress as a species over millions of years. Schlain is a surgeon who has reflected on the way our bodies affect our behavior and applied it to our evolutionary history.

He thinks that once women figured out why they were getting pregnant, men had to behave better to obtain consent for sex. So women have influenced men to be more responsible and more nurturing for a long time. And that's why men and women have different attitudes about war along with the hormonal influences.

That's what I'm getting at -
Encouraging progressively more humane behaviour.

[KissMyAsscroft]

5. This thread is a perfect example of why we are fucking LOSING.

Arguing about dumb shit. Perfect microcosm of what liberals face every day...gotta make all the wittle children happy.

Ugh.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

6. Words are why we are losing. Read the Lakoff link I just added.

I hear your impatience and I do understand it.

'Whiny egg-headed blah-blah-blah.'

You are mostly right. Read the Lakoff link and come back with an update on your response because we actually agree.

This is a tactic the Republican Culture Warriors have been using to kick our asses for 30 years! Get smarter if you want to fight back.

We have to reach an ignorant, propagandized, know-nothing, fearful bunch of primates. That's our America.

It sucks and we HAVE TO be smart about how we talk to them.

READ, PLEASE.