Glenn Greenwald may be many things.
But as a poof reader, his skills leave much to be desired. (Via Glenn Reynolds, who dared to utter this multifaceted four letter word.)
The way Greenwald rants, you’d almost think he imagines poof is nothing more than a synonym for Republican fear of ick.
I mean, what is this? Even Maureen Dowd is allowed to express intolerance over the slightest whiff of poof, but Peggy Noonan can’t even use the word in its proper context?
Oh the hypocrisy!
In the interest of full disclosure, I had no ick reaction to the alleged poof in dispute. (Quite the opposite, in fact…)
MORE: Justin made me do this.
UPDATE: It’s “poof or consequences” time!
My thanks to Glenn Reynolds for linking this post, and a warm welcome to all.
As I take a broad general view of things and really don’t care who anyone is around here, all commenters — even sock puppets — are always welcome!
MORE: I don’t know how off-topic this is, but years ago when I worked in a stodgy San Francisco law firm, I first learned the derogatory meaning of the word “poofter” from a British working class co-worker from Manchester. He complained to me constantly about the “poofters” he believed were lurking everywhere making passes at him until I finally reached the end of my patience and told him I was one too. He was horrified, but after he recovered from the shock, he stated that while I might be gay, I wasn’t a “poofter.” So, not only did I learn a new word, but I learned there was some sort of distinction – at least in his mind. While I don’t know how accurately his usage of the term was, it was clear to me then that the closest American equivalent to the term (at that time in San Francisco) would have been the word “queen.” How derogatory such words would seem to depend on context.
A Virginia activist recently won a legal battle to get the word “POOFTER” on his custom license plate.
Am I supposed to be offended?
MORE: The Washington Post’s Marc Fisher digs into the details behind the Virginia “POOFTER” battle:
Then and now, Phillips found the name funny but hardly offensive. Merriam-Webster says “poofter” is “usually disparaging,” and the Oxford English Dictionary calls the word “derogatory slang,” but it’s routinely aired on broadcast television, and Phillips says it’s less disparaging than “nancy boy,” which happens to have been his previous license tag message (“NANCBOY,” for four years, with no complaint from the state). “Poofter,” Phillips contends, “is a pretty neutral word. It gets past any e-mail filter.”
Yes, but Glenn Greenwald isn’t just any email filter….
UPDATE (01/13/08): My thanks to Glenn Reynolds for linking this post for a second time in a new context!
More thoughts on whether “POOF goes the Culture” (as well as Greenwald modeling theory) here.
Comments
15 responses to “the poof is in the putting”
Sadly all I was able to muster was a weak chuckle. It’s difficult to mock those that have already ridiculed themselves. No matter how spot on the satire is.
Jealous, much? It’s laughable to see you right-wing bloggers getting your jollies by making fun of a standup guy like Glenn Greenwald. For your information, Mr. Greenwald has written a New York Times bestselling book on executive authority, broken a story on his blog about wiretapping that led to front-page stories on most major newspapers in the country, and Russ Feingold read from my blog… I mean, his blog, on the Senate Floor.
Good DAY, sir!
“The poof is in the putting”? Please stop the butchering of this idiom.
The expression is “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” not “the proof is in the pudding,” which is a modern misquoting, akin to the misuse of “begs the question.”
‘Ol Bathhouse Greenwald puts the poof in “poofter.”
Rick Ellensburg?
Are you Glenn Greenwald using your Rick Ellensburg sock puppet?
Or you someone else pretending to be Glenn Greenwald using his Rick Ellensburg sock puppet?
I hate fake sock puppets so much I wrote a post about it:
Faking Sock Puppets
AK,
Very funny.
Gleen is that you?
So would it be safe to say in this case that ‘the poof is in the felching’?
Are you Glenn Greenwald using your Rick Ellensburg sock puppet?
Or you someone else pretending to be Glenn Greenwald using his Rick Ellensburg sock puppet?
That would be funny–sock puppeting a sock puppet. But it is wintertime, after all. Someone could easily use more than one sock if they felt the need… 😉
D’oh–the italics were supposed to go on the first two lines, not just one. But I think you got the idea…
In what I believe is Tim Blair’s immortal neologism, Gleen(s) has beclowned himself. Agan.
Either that, or he’s really desperate for material. Poor sod.
I think everyone commenting is really me, er, him! Glenn.
Says, there’s a gay man on Althouse — Evan Izer — who is always disparaging other gays with the word, “Mary”.
Lord, I hate that one…
As a Brit I would have to agree that, coming from someone who is not openly homophobic, the term “poof” or “poofter” would only refer to a camp gay man. It is also used as a term of mild, good-humoured abuse for someone who is a bit over-cautious, or refuses a drink he is expected to take. Coming from a clear homophobe, though, it would be used about any person assumed to be gay.
To describe Greenwald as a mediocrity would be to give him too much credit.