Presidential Simulacrum
July 15, 2007 2:15 PM   Subscribe

George W. Bush does not exist.
posted by Baby_Balrog (28 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: "George W. Bush does not exist" does exist. -- cortex



 
Thank Science for the OS X 'Summarize' service.
posted by Sukiari at 2:20 PM on July 15, 2007


Fun article. Double though.
posted by PHINC at 2:21 PM on July 15, 2007


I get the point, but I also found the article stilted and condescending.
posted by jonmc at 2:26 PM on July 15, 2007


Love Sellers (Dr. Strangelove, and the first Pink Panther were puter genious. After having seen Rush's portaryal of Peter Sellers in "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," I wanted to see "Being There." A word of advice: don't rent Being There.

Back on topic: I enjoyed this article, though I doubt it's subject would "get it."

Oh, by the way, don't rent "The Party" either.
posted by lonemantis at 2:30 PM on July 15, 2007


"Bush's estrangement from the real -- evident in his unfamiliarity with geography, history, ordinary English syntax and semantics, and a fund of common knowledge -- stems from his own lack of reality."

I think this is an extremely salient point: people who have never lived like the rest of us probably are not capable of leading us at all well.

I think the problem of health care neatly illustrates this: because the elite have never had to worry about their health care, they have no idea why universal health care is necessary.

Spoiled children should not be allowed to become President. Their life experience simply does not prepare them for reality.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:32 PM on July 15, 2007


Seeing that link briefly put my mind into a better place, and for that .2 seconds of peace and comfort I haven't known since 2001, I thank you.
posted by nevercalm at 2:35 PM on July 15, 2007 [1 favorite]


George W. Bush does not exist.

Oh, if only that were true.
posted by grouse at 2:45 PM on July 15, 2007


The story of the scowling, scheming, domineering, silently sinister Vice-President and the spoiled, petted prince who becomes his plaything is irresistible—set in a pristine White House, played against an ominous, unseen background of violence and catastrophe, like distant thunder, and packed with drama, palace intrigue, and black comedy. -- Hertzberg, The New Yorker, July 9
posted by jokeefe at 2:48 PM on July 15, 2007


Ceci n'est pas George Bush.
posted by blue_beetle at 2:51 PM on July 15, 2007


"People who have never lived like the rest of us probably are not capable of leading us at all well.

Better Stalin than Buddha, eh?
posted by davy at 2:53 PM on July 15, 2007


It's an interesting idea, the author of this article has, and some of it rings very true, but I think this view is another way of letting oneself off the hook, a kind of denial.

It's ok, it's not our fault, because he's not really real, we were fooled. No, he's real, and you wanted him, you wanted all of this.

The rats are leaving the sinking ship, all kinds of rats, even the pseudo-intellectual rats are now trying to find some safe haven for their own self worth. It's not working. The same society that created Chimpy created you, and you are part of it. It's ugly, but then so are you. Hideously ugly.
posted by Henry C. Mabuse at 2:57 PM on July 15, 2007


A word of advice: don't rent Being There.

Wow, that's messed up, man.
posted by dhammond at 2:59 PM on July 15, 2007 [1 favorite]


I enjoyed that, but I think the stuff she's saying about Television is a bit dated and doesn't exhibit any real insight. It seems like she's just regurgitating what other pomo philosophers have already said about it.

The internet seems to be changing everything rather dramatically.

Which is why despite everything she says, his approval rating is 25% or so. We've seen through the illusion and see the man.

A weak, pathetic, ignorant loser, manipulated by the corrupt and the deceitful.
posted by empath at 3:10 PM on July 15, 2007


I quite enjoyed both Being There and The Party.

Go ahead and rent them.
posted by lastobelus at 3:14 PM on July 15, 2007 [1 favorite]


The internet seems to be changing everything rather dramatically.

Yeah, it gives people a place to talk about television.
posted by jonmc at 3:14 PM on July 15, 2007


Yeah, it gives people a place to talk about television.

Well, even that is good. I mean, in the past television was a passive form of entertainment, you sat and listened, but now people can reach across the world and discuss what they see. If you look at the mainstream media, they're obsessed with what bloggers think of them, and in fact blogs do have a lot of sway with some media types (not all of them). If you look at "up and coming" pundits, you see people who got started online. People like Anna Mare Cox, Michell Malken, Matt Yglesias, etc.

Even entertainment shows interact with their fanbase a lot more now.
posted by delmoi at 3:28 PM on July 15, 2007


Bush Karma
posted by homunculus at 3:29 PM on July 15, 2007


Oh, by the way, don't rent "The Party" either.

That comment didn't exist. Or, at least, it shouldn't have.
posted by Astro Zombie at 3:29 PM on July 15, 2007




If you look at "up and coming" pundits, you see people who got started online. People like Anna Mare Cox, Michell Malken, Matt Yglesias, etc.

We've spawned a whole new generation of know-it-all pundits, zealots, and flacks. Hooray for us.
posted by jonmc at 3:36 PM on July 15, 2007


We've spawned a whole new generation of know-it-all pundits

Better then the no-nothing pundits that have been so popular these days.
posted by delmoi at 3:43 PM on July 15, 2007


(That said, I do find AMC a bit flackey, and Malken is despicable. )
posted by delmoi at 3:44 PM on July 15, 2007


Better then the no-nothing pundits that have been so popular these days.

Dude, the term 'know-it-all' is sarcastic, since people who think they know everything generally don't know squat.
posted by jonmc at 3:49 PM on July 15, 2007


lonemantis writes "Oh, by the way, don't rent 'The Party' either."

One of my all-time favorite Seller flicks. Don't listen to this silly person. Not sure about Being There, however. It's been a very long time since I last saw that one.
posted by krinklyfig at 3:50 PM on July 15, 2007


krinklyfig writes "One of my all-time favorite Seller flicks."

Sellers. Seller flicks? I can't imagine what that means.
posted by krinklyfig at 3:51 PM on July 15, 2007


That Bill Kristol op-ed is a real doozy.
posted by MarshallPoe at 3:55 PM on July 15, 2007


I'm on fire and falling 30 stories. If Superman saves me, this will be a successful trip to the market.
I like the odds.
posted by 235w103 at 3:57 PM on July 15, 2007


I get the point the article is making, but it could be made with about 1/10th as many words.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 4:00 PM on July 15, 2007


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