About This Site

Figaro rips the innards out of things people say and reveals the rhetorical tricks and pratfalls. For terms and definitions, click here.
(What are figures of speech?)
Ask Figaro a question!

This form does not yet contain any fields.

    « Hold Still. This Is Good for You. | Main | Academia Goes to DefCon 3 »
    Friday
    Sep222006

    Why Mommy Can't Win Elections

    share_our_toys-585x417.jpgQuote:  “Democrats make sure we share all our toys, just like Mommy does.”  From the children’s book, Why Mommy Is a Democrat, by Jeremy Zilber.

    Figure of Speech: diatyposis (di-a-ty-PO-sis), the figure of wise advice.  From the Greek, meaning “system.”

    When Figaro first saw this book, he thought the Republicans had put out a clumsy parody.  Would Democrats really publish a book depicting themselves as squirrels??

    Yes, actually, they would. 

    The book repeats the same ungrammatical phrase, “just like Mommy does,” in a diatyposis — an especially annoying figure that teaches values in the form of sage advice.  (Shakespeare mocks the diatyposis in the character of Hamlet’s Polonius.)

    Having managed to turn off a majority of Americans, the Dems are now driving their own children into the greedy little arms of the GOP.  Any self-respecting three-year-old will want to hide her new Dancing Elmo and send her allowance to Rush Limbaugh.

    We can’t wait for the Republicans to put out their own version, showing patriotic little gun owners happily shooting squirrels.

    Snappy Answer:  “Now, Republicans steal toys.  And they run off with women half their age and they’re always late with child support, the lazy, two-timing … Why, honey, why are you crying?”

    PrintView Printer Friendly Version

    EmailEmail Article to Friend

    Reader Comments (2)

    Oh. My. God.

    I just found the Republican version. It actually came first. It's called "Help! Mom! There are Liberals under my bed!"
    ...
    Enter at your own risk.
    http://www.worldaheadpublishing.com/helpMom/index.php

    (And guess what! There's a fun fun sequel! It's called "Help! Mom! Hollywood's in my Hamper!"
    Seriously, I'm not kidding.
    http://www.worldaheadpublishing.com/titles/himh.php#
    September 23, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterFia
    Thanks, Fia. It's a perfect illustration of the two parties. The Republican version is slick, well-drawn, and consists of mean-spirited personal attacks. The Democratic book is vague, cheaply done, and, well, squirrelly.
    September 23, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterFigaro

    PostPost a New Comment

    Enter your information below to add a new comment.

    My response is on my own website »
    Author Email (optional):
    Author URL (optional):
    Post:
     
    All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.