Thursday 11 September 2008

From the Ritz to the rubble*

Of course being away last week meant I missed the opportunity to give my verdict on Sarah Palin (I'm torn between 'mad' and 'scary' - it's a close call) and her strangely-monickered family.
The Bouncer has an interesting take on it, to quote: "Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin has a daughter named 'Bristol'. The young lady in question is 17 years old, unwed and five months pregnant, which seems somehow appropriate."
Somehow appropriate? What does he mean? Is he commenting on the 'white trash' connotations of giving kids wacky names? (Freakonomics has an interesting chapter on this, on why black parents with high aspirations for their kids give them mis-spelt names - usually ending in '-iece' or '-elle' as in Shanniece or Shantelle - which are more likely to hold them back; their verdict, from what I can dimly recall, is that the parents believe such names to be aspirational). Or is he saying that Bristol is full of 'young ladies' who are unwed and pregnant? Come on Bouncer - enlighten us!
*As in, "Last night these two bouncers, And one of em's alright, The other one's the scary one, His way or no way, totalitarian"

2 comments:

Glenn Vowles said...

Sarah Palin is certainly a social conservative: opposed to abortion; against "explicit sex-ed programs" in schools, backing abstinence-only education; opposing same-sex marriage; supporting capital punishment; supporting teaching creationism in public schools; supporting the right to bear arms, including handguns; promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR); has opposed federal listing of the polar bear as an endangered species; opposed the designation of the Cook Inlet beluga whale as an endangered species; supported 'predator control' initiatives such as the aerial hunting of wolves; and unlike John McCain, she apparently does not believe that climate change is largely human-caused, though as a believer in creationism she is hardly keen on rational, scientific concepts like evidence and investigative testing and questioning!! Id say that both mad and scary are both appropriate terms for her Kerry.

The Bristol Blogger said...

I completely support the right of the people of St George West to bear arms if it will prevent Hazel Blears tap dancing on their streets.