Myth management
It's tough enough trying to match the great achievements of history. But President Bush and his crew are inspired by great stories. They take famous incidents and re-enact them in a way that's true to the underlying myth, rather than boring old historical fact.
Imelda Marcos had 3,000 pairs of shoes. (*)
On Wednesday and Thursday, as the scope of the disaster became obvious, ten or twelve other countries offered to help. The administration dithered, then declined assistance before reversing itself. During this sideshow to the main circus of incompetence, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saw Spamalot and spent $3,000 on shoes.
Nero fiddled while Rome burned. (**)
On Tuesday, as New Orleans filled up with water, Bush fiddled with a guitar (poorly).
Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake." (***)
On Monday, shortly after the first levee broke, Bush enjoyed some of John McCain's birthhday cake.
In less than a week, the Bush Administration managed to hit the lowest points in two millennia of corrupt entitlement.
The Bushies matched or exceeded historic fact every time. We have history that's too new to be improved upon; even there we have a perfect match on the numbers (so what if the units differ). We have a ruler playing an contemporary instrument, rather than an obsolete one (although I'm sure a lyre would feel at home in the Bush White House). And we have actual cake rather than imaginary cake.
The Bush team is a miracle at myth-management: they achieved legendary performance every time.
Too bad they can't match legends (or history, or the recent past) about anything involving competence or integrity.
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(*) This is too recent to become very embellished.
(**) The violin was yet to be invented. Nero played the lyre.
(***) Just a story. She didn't really say it. And it's a mistranslation, to boot.
Imelda Marcos had 3,000 pairs of shoes. (*)
On Wednesday and Thursday, as the scope of the disaster became obvious, ten or twelve other countries offered to help. The administration dithered, then declined assistance before reversing itself. During this sideshow to the main circus of incompetence, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saw Spamalot and spent $3,000 on shoes.
Nero fiddled while Rome burned. (**)
On Tuesday, as New Orleans filled up with water, Bush fiddled with a guitar (poorly).
Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake." (***)
On Monday, shortly after the first levee broke, Bush enjoyed some of John McCain's birthhday cake.
In less than a week, the Bush Administration managed to hit the lowest points in two millennia of corrupt entitlement.
The Bushies matched or exceeded historic fact every time. We have history that's too new to be improved upon; even there we have a perfect match on the numbers (so what if the units differ). We have a ruler playing an contemporary instrument, rather than an obsolete one (although I'm sure a lyre would feel at home in the Bush White House). And we have actual cake rather than imaginary cake.
The Bush team is a miracle at myth-management: they achieved legendary performance every time.
Too bad they can't match legends (or history, or the recent past) about anything involving competence or integrity.
----------
(*) This is too recent to become very embellished.
(**) The violin was yet to be invented. Nero played the lyre.
(***) Just a story. She didn't really say it. And it's a mistranslation, to boot.
posted by scott at 8:46 AM
1 Comments:
Great post today, sq. Sorry you got spammed above, though!
Let them eat brioche . . .
Works for me. ;o)
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