frouella 10/31 Post of X-Treme Eeevil!

First of all, I have to say that I'm a bonehead for not getting Umberto Eco's autograph while he was in class Tuesday night, since he's only one of my favorite authors in the whole world. Oh well, maybe he's still in town, like, on his way to Disney or something... ;)

The quote that resonated with me the most was from Volosinov: "Sign becomes the arena of the class struggle." Which immediately made me think of politics, and the insipidly insidious names that get bandied about there ("freedom fries" anyone? Because, you know, french fries are for terrorists). Then you have the PACs, with names like "Freedom Project" and "Committee for a Livable Future" -- they all sound good, but what exactly do they stand for? Who knows? You certainly can't tell from the title, but the words are nice. After all, who doesn't want freedom? And a livable future is a much better alternative than, say, a deadly future, right? You have to do your own research to find out that the Freedom Project's mission is "to preserve and expand a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives" and that the Committee for a Livable Future "is a political action committee (PAC) founded in 1996 by Congressman Earl Blumenauer to help elect Democratic Members of Congress." Oh. Well. I'm sure I would've figured that out eventually. Despite the fact that neither one of them really have much to do with freedom or a livable future.

This also makes me think of the politicization of the word "liberal." The Republicans seem to have hijacked this term over the last few years or so, imbuing it with all kinds of unsavory connotations. According to their views, a liberal is some kind of Democrat wacko who hugs trees and hates America and drinks lattes while driving their Volvo to an ACLU meeting that will no doubt try to destroy the American family. Or something to that effect. So I looked it up; according to the definition in the American Heritage dictionary, "liberal" is: 1a) Open-minded; tolerant. b) Favoring civil and political liberties, democratic reforms, and protection from arbitrary authority. 2a) Tending to give freely; generous. b) abundant; ample. 3) Not strict or literal; approximate. 4) Of or based on the traditional arts and sciences of a college or university curriculum. Well, heck -- I'm all about liberal, then! What's not to like? And that's exactly why the takeover of the term by the Republicans really pi--um, really made me angry. Because they basically changed the definition to suit their purposes and the public let them, even the liberals themselves, who no longer refer to themselves as liberals but progressives instead. Which has got to be one of the more spineless things I've heard of lately. Which is also why, when asked about my political leanings, I have no problem telling people that I'm a liberal. Though after last Tuesday's class, I'm changing my name too -- to X-Treme Liberal!

Random Po-Moment:
Everyone's heard about the seven wonders of the world, right? Well, apparently they weren't impressive enough for Good Morning America and USA Today; the two have teamed up to bring you...**drumroll, please!**...the Seven NEW Wonders of the World! Now with 20% more Wonder!