Saturday, April 08, 2006

It’s always tempting to impute / Unlikely virtues to the cute


Shock and dismay among the nation’s naturalists, today, as it turns out that meerkats – those sweet, anthropomorphized rascals of the savannah, are actually amoral, baby-eating bastards.

So attractive to look at, yet so unpleasant – who does that remind us of?


The election thief, the wire tapper and the night swimmer, yesterday. We dodged a bullet there, if you’ll pardon the expression…

8 comments:

Ivan the Terrible said...

I wonder what the "meer" part means? Sounds like Afrikaans to me. Probably "backstabbing Judas don't say you weren't warned", which would explain a lot.

Speaking of names and their meanings, apparently Kennedy comes from the Gaelic for "ugly head", and not "slimy arrogant crooks and hypocrites" after all. I know - I was surprised too.

Ivan the Terrible said...

No point asking GB. He's scared of them for some reason. And that answers our question, really, doesn't it?

Foot Eater said...

Cantemir, you're woefully uninformed. Afrikaans is far removed from Dutch and no self-respecting German or Hollander would go anywhere near it. 'Meer' is Afrikaans for 'More', not that this sheds any clarity on the animal's name. We used to call them suricates, us English-speaking Sarf Effricans, when we went to see them at Johannesburg Zoo in the 70s.

Anonymous said...

Just so you know, I'm reading this while enjoying a "Chappaquiddick." Scotch and muddy water.

Cheers.

Sam, Problem-Child-Bride said...

I can attest to your provenance of the name Kennedy, Mr. Terrible, hailing, as I do hail, from the Gaeltacht (although my Gaelic is intermediate at best). Ceanneideach is the Scottish Gaelic for Kennedy and Cinniedigh, the Irish, but apparantly back then to be called "ugly-headed" was a compliment. Maybe it was to do with the advantage of being hideously scary in battle or something.

I take your point though: I could never see anything particularly attractive about the Kennedys or the other great ladies' man, Clinton, either. They say Clinton has huge personal charm though and tons of animal magnetism in the flesh, for which all the ladies in the room get giddy. And the men find him personally magnetic and likeable too, which is a hard trick to pull off, being as how all their wives are cooing for him and hastily slipping napkins with lipstick phone-numbers on, to the cocktail-person waiting on him, who might well have slipped him his/her own number too. In real life he's meant to be the most commanding presence in the room which is a sexy thing. Maybe JFK had that too, but from just seeing pictures of him he didn't look any great shakes oil-painting to me, and I'm partial to older men. I can't see what the fuss was about there. I guess it's the power thing.

Paddy Ashdown, now there's a man! (I joke/choke/both)

Sam, Problem-Child-Bride said...

Who's YOUR sexiest politician, Mr. Terrible?

Ivan the Terrible said...

Hi Footie. Maybe they meant that they're more catty than cats? Backstabbing Judas would be about right, then, given cats' innate loyalty and affection for others.

Definitely an acquired taste, Randall. Not a cocktail I'd order in Boston, tho' - I hear they drown it in water up there...

Sam - excellent question! Let's throw it open for the gang.

Desargues said...

We underestimate the magnetism of otherwise insignificant fellows at our own expense. For a child of the Enlightenment, it's a bit depressing to realize that politics is sometimes guided by animal magnetism, but I'll just have to deal with that. Can't get what's so magnetic about Clinton or Junior, but I see it works.