Ah! Literation
The AP just ran the headline:
Activists, actors, athletics honored by Obama
Which makes me think next week we'll see the headline "Brewers, bakers, basketmakers honored by Obama." In 24 weeks the suspense will be fierce when we find out if X, Y, and Z get their own weeks or have to share ("Xeroxers, Yachtsmen, and Zoologists honored by Obama").
Actually, if you read the article, you find out that scientists and humanitarians are also honored. Note they don't get to make the A-list, pun intended--sort of like The Professor and Mary Anne when they were just "the rest." Mary Anne was too a humanitarian.
Of course, the list is the usual grab bag of honorable note-worthies, from John and Kate (who thankfully didn't have to share an award, and yes, John had his impregnated by the end of the ceremony) to Michael Bay, as this is summer, after all, and the White House felt it necessary to award his amazing ability to take a cartoon, about toys, and make it seem even dumber than a cartoon or toys. Twice.
Seriously, the list, while a bit more consciously conscientious than say a Bush White House Presidential Medal of Freedom group--Bishop Tutu, Joseph Lowery, Sidney Poitier, Billie Jean King, Edward Kennedy--also featured Sandra Day O'Connor and Jack Kemp for that proper right wing balance. ("See," Obama says. "I'm not a socialist after all!")
Finally in addition to the posthumous award to Kemp, one went to Harvey Milk. For even the Obama White House thinks its safest to honor dead gay activists--a live one might ask about over-turning DOMA or something.
And the AP ignored even listing the other 8 winners, thereby doing good things like ignoring women's health issues, just like most research organizations (Nancy Goodman Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, got one); ignoring people with Muslim names who help the poor (Muhammad Yunus); and, perhaps most importantly, not getting dragged into the "is Stephen Hawking really British and how did their socialist medicine allow him to live?" brouhaha.
Activists, actors, athletics honored by Obama
Which makes me think next week we'll see the headline "Brewers, bakers, basketmakers honored by Obama." In 24 weeks the suspense will be fierce when we find out if X, Y, and Z get their own weeks or have to share ("Xeroxers, Yachtsmen, and Zoologists honored by Obama").
Actually, if you read the article, you find out that scientists and humanitarians are also honored. Note they don't get to make the A-list, pun intended--sort of like The Professor and Mary Anne when they were just "the rest." Mary Anne was too a humanitarian.
Of course, the list is the usual grab bag of honorable note-worthies, from John and Kate (who thankfully didn't have to share an award, and yes, John had his impregnated by the end of the ceremony) to Michael Bay, as this is summer, after all, and the White House felt it necessary to award his amazing ability to take a cartoon, about toys, and make it seem even dumber than a cartoon or toys. Twice.
Seriously, the list, while a bit more consciously conscientious than say a Bush White House Presidential Medal of Freedom group--Bishop Tutu, Joseph Lowery, Sidney Poitier, Billie Jean King, Edward Kennedy--also featured Sandra Day O'Connor and Jack Kemp for that proper right wing balance. ("See," Obama says. "I'm not a socialist after all!")
Finally in addition to the posthumous award to Kemp, one went to Harvey Milk. For even the Obama White House thinks its safest to honor dead gay activists--a live one might ask about over-turning DOMA or something.
And the AP ignored even listing the other 8 winners, thereby doing good things like ignoring women's health issues, just like most research organizations (Nancy Goodman Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, got one); ignoring people with Muslim names who help the poor (Muhammad Yunus); and, perhaps most importantly, not getting dragged into the "is Stephen Hawking really British and how did their socialist medicine allow him to live?" brouhaha.
Labels: award aweirdness, the press is a mess
posted by George at 1:02 PM
2 Comments:
Nothing for the Fonz?
Look, to Stephen Hawking, most people already look sort of dumb. But with this? I mean seriously, folks...
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