Thank the God's of Snark

February 29, 2008 2:38 PM

I nearly punched someone today.
posted by Espoo2 (19 comments total)

Someone got their own blog, apparently.
posted by dersins at 2:46 PM on February 29

That was fucking awesome. Love it.
posted by farishta at 2:46 PM on February 29

I don't believe in returning abuse, but this is a pretty good story.
posted by Deep Dish at 2:49 PM on February 29

what does en flambe mean? maybe French for, "the boy whom is aflame"? like a gay kid?
posted by Student of Man at 2:50 PM on February 29 [1 favorite]

caffeinated mall wiccan has wish fulfillment fantasy
posted by fleetmouse at 2:50 PM on February 29 [2 favorites]

m to the e h
posted by dontoine at 2:51 PM on February 29

if you insult someone's appearance to their faces in public or tell a fat woman she should be on Atkins, it's considered "helpful advice." You don't know this woman, why she's fat, or anything about her life, but it's okay to be cruel, because obviously she's lazy and self-indulgent and you, as a skinny evangelist, have the right to say whatever you want if you think it's for her own good.

I don't know anyone who thinks this is remotely cool.
posted by desjardins at 2:52 PM on February 29

Am I the only one who suspects the author only *wishes* she was this witty? As someone who is very fat, this just doesn't ring true to me.
posted by Ragma at 2:57 PM on February 29

I don't believe this happened.
posted by Item at 2:57 PM on February 29

Or, what Ragma said.
posted by Item at 2:58 PM on February 29

I love a great comeback.
posted by Daddy-O at 3:02 PM on February 29

This story would be a lot better and FPP-worthy if the she'd tasered the girl.
posted by fandango_matt at 3:04 PM on February 29 [1 favorite]

Am I the only one who suspects the author only *wishes* she was this witty? As someone who is very fat, this just doesn't ring true to me.

I doubt it happened, but not because the author doesn't seem witty enough to pull off this retort (which isn't even that witty, it's just a form of "I may be x, but YOU'RE z" mixed with "I'm going to repeat what you just said, but make it about you"). I think it didn't happen because people rarely insult you with such softballs that you can hit out of the park like that.
posted by 23skidoo at 3:04 PM on February 29

What is half an IQ? A D and a half Q?
posted by bunnytricks at 3:06 PM on February 29

Sounds a little like a case of literary l'esprit de l'escalier to me. Good story though.
posted by elendil71 at 3:09 PM on February 29

staircase wit
posted by bonaldi at 3:09 PM on February 29

The story lost me from the beginning when we got a description of the woman's outfit and purse and hair along with a conspiratorial: you know, the type of people you and I despise.

It sort of served as a warning flag I guess that a pat story about stereotypes was on its way.
posted by vacapinta at 3:15 PM on February 29

fat girl fantasy.
posted by verisimilitude at 3:17 PM on February 29

"I'm barely paying attention" she says although she did notice that the woman was"... standing there in her overpriced workout clothes--you know, the kind nobody wears to actually work out in, they just wear around town to make it look like they're oh-so-health-conscious. She has one of those stupid little pink leather purses that should have a dog in it, and an armload of magazines about pilates and yoga; her hair is that expensive streaky blonde that's all the rage in people trying to look young and hip".
It would have been a better read if she had actually punched the woman.
posted by Sailormom at 3:18 PM on February 29