Dennis Miller: Applying a Caveat to Forcible Rape
by Big Hollywood
Dennis Miller in today’s Washington Examiner:
I guess I’ve been hearing it for years now as the country has slid into knee-jerk relativism. Till now though, it’s merely been an equivocating grandfather clock in the background, metronomic, at worst nettlesome. It was at the beginning of l’affaire Polanski, though, that I realized how much I’ve come to detest the word “but.”
One liberal pundit or another (banality = interchangeability) was bleating on and on, and I actually heard the words “what Roman Polanski did was wrong but …” and it hit me like an air horn in a Trappist monastery. With a simple wave of the conjunctive wand, we now believe that we can explain away absolutely anything!
I know man does not live by declarative sentences alone, although you can certainly do a lot worse than Hemingway. Purely and simply, there are certain times in life that you have to pull up short of the logic abyss that is the word “but” and pitch camp on the near side of it. This is one of those times.
To apply a caveat to the forcible rape of a 13-year-old girl by a 40-year-old euro-lech armed with quaaludes and bubbly (and ably assisted by a brain-dead parent) is akin to sailing around the Cape of Good Hope to visit the corner store.
Now while I’m pretty certain Whoopi Goldberg is going to try to put a Roadrunner cloud between herself and her “not a rape-rape” gem, I’m not even sure she has to anymore! I think our society is so inundated with misinformed faux wisdom these days that her swing and a miss moment has already passed. The dogs bark, the caravan/news cycle moves on.
And where do you most often find this contorted gibberish masquerading as insight? Invariably on the backside of the word “but.” Liberals have commandeered “but,” conservative bunko artists favor “nevertheless,” and moderates put you into an induced coma with their incessant “howevers.” Pick your poison, fact is we’d all be better off staying on this side of the “but.”
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130 Comments
Perfectly argued. Well done.
I realized this conjuction's power during the Menendez brothers trial. The issue was no longer "who done it" that was clearly known, The issue was then and still "did they have a good reason for doing what they did?"
Fewer "buts" = less Aholes.
Amen. When it comes to what Polanski did, there is no "but," "however," "none the less" or any such weasel words. The sentence "What Polanski did was horrible" should be finished with either a period or a smack upside the head.
This isn't a Democrat/Republican thing, a liberal/conservative thing, or coastal/flyover country thing. It is (or at least it should be) a simple right/wrong thing. There shouldn't be a side for child rapists in the culture wars.
I had no idea Mr. Miller was so sharp with his pen. Nicely scathing, attacking appropriate targets, with grace and humor.
Well done.
I can agree to lose "but" as long as it doesn't mean I have to lose "butt" too.
Read the entire article and Dennis raises a valid point. Have we as a society and civilization passed the point of no return? It makes one pause and take stock. Life can never be entirely black and white or can it? There does come a time, in everyones life, when we all seem to compromise our beliefs in order to keep a job, get along, go with the flow etc. Have we gone too far? This will take some time to digest and I might not like the results.
It is a slippery slope Dennis. Once you acknowledge one moral absolute, you have to start acknowledge others. Pretty soon you wind up sounding like someone with principles. We can't have THAT now, can we?
I have to agree with him (but I could be wrong…) If folks cannot decide to agree on what an obvious rape is just that – an obvious rape. It is truly hard to imagine what we can agree on. I've heard – and repeated the phrase myself – that you cannot truly argue with a liberal because they just don't know how to face a fact. It is amazing just how true it is.
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Miller nails it. Well said Dennis…
damn, and i'm an ass man too
"Euro-lech"…Brilliant. I hope to see this liberal elitist cognomen in wikipedia in the future.
Dennis succinctly explains why Joe Wilson raised so much ire…there are no caveats, equivocations, or 'buts', in the statement "You Lie!"
(note: if you have no problems with shoes being thrown at Bush, don't waste my time pontificating about protocol/respect/decorum in regards to Mr. Wilson)
Nice. Laura Ingrahm's been talking about 'but-monkeys' for years in regard to this phenomenon. I do find that some of the 'but', 'nevertheless' and 'however' comes from the demand that every opinion have a preamble. Example: 'George Bush really screwed up with that bail-out at the end of his second term, NEVERTHELESS, Obama's stimulus bill has done for more damage to our economy.'
See, you can't criticize one of their guys without laying the groundwork of home team criticism first.
Excellent Dennis. Have listened to your radio show since the beginning and am happy you are putting pen to paper here. BTW Nathan, I saw that motivational "Conviction" poster with the big tree …but… this one said " Even chopped up this once majestic tree will provide the paper your death certificate is printed on". Okay, I made that up
I think the worst thing a society can do is give a child molester a way out of what they do. Turning them into a victim class is morally reprehensible. I don't care if they were abused as a child, personal responsibility will always rule the day.
Conjunction conjuntion whats your function…..
Excellent Dennis. I have been wondering for sometime about the cop out of But. I honeslty at times think its because many people are afraid of making a correct assessment of a situation.
Although I have a ton of respect for Dennis Miller, I am confused as to why BigHollywood.com condemns Polanski while referring to Charles Chaplin as "Heroic" . Chaplin was a child rapist as well. When he was 35, he impregnated Lita Grey when she was 16 years old. I think that rape is rape is rape, no matter if you're Chaplin, Polanski or the guy down the street, no matter how much time has passed since the offense. But after reading the article about Chaplin, I can only guess that the editors of BigHollywood.com disagree with me:
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/rdvonch/2009/10...
Nicely penned Dennis. I'm excited to see you've finally decided to bring to the print media what you have long ago mastered in the spoken media by writing a weekly article in which you deftly merge your rapier wit with your Shakespearian tongue. I'm anxiously looking forward to what's next! Thank You.
Aw, f*ck it; who wants pie?
You didn't know Mr. Miller's pen was so sharp? Where have you been for the last 25 years? Hey listen, if the mind can think it and the mouth can say it what stops the pen from hitting the paper with it?
You didn't know Mr. Miller's was so sharp with his pen? Where have you been for the last 25 years? Hey listen, if the mind can think it and the mouth can say it what stops the pen from hitting the paper with it?
The link is to a story about the depiction of a character that Chaplin played in a movie, not Chaplin himself. The reports about Polanski raping the girl are about Polanski himself, not a character in one of his movies. Big difference.
I've seen his stand up routine a few times on TV, and thought he was fairly talented. I've just never seen any of his writings before.
And just because he's good at stand up doesn't necessarily mean it translates well into writing.
I'll keep an eye out for more.
The link I posted is to a story about the "brilliance" of Chaplin as a movie maker. I am aware that the article does not discuss his well-known (and perverted, imo) attraction to young girls. Afaik, Chaplin never played a rapist in a movie. He raped an underage girl and got her pregnant. In real life.
What's the difference between him and Polanski?
Long ago, I learned to install "but", "however" and "nevertheless" FILTERS. It has saved me many trips to jail, and numerous bouts of mental gridlock. “That being said,” ( here;s another one ), there were a few times that on the far side of “but” there was a pleasant experience.
1. I had decided to not give you that pay increase, “however”…….
2. We are not going to have sex now, but ……..
Here's my new favorite- a little more subtle… "At the end of the day…"
I've always said that liberal's favorite word is "…but…". You see it here everyday. I beat Dennis to it just the other day. But he did fine on the rest of it.
Conjunction junction whats your function..ha ha ha…Hi Wanks.
Maybe while "short eyes" Polanski is doing his time, somebody will slice open his left nostril.
Great comment, the conservative Hollywood trendy-ites are just a guilty of trying to play down the culpability of Polanski. Has there been any comments by Miller about the denial of Limbaugh's attempt to be an NFL owner because of his racism? How about Limbaugh's drug addiction and drug dealing? Even one of Limbaugh's girth would have a tough time swallowing thousands of oxycontin pills a week, though he does swallow a lot of other unmentionable things.
I think there are some moral absolutes, but that doesn't mean every thing has to be morally absolute.
Protecting children from predators is a moral absolute.
I thought Bush handled that incident with incredible class. "I did see his soul." Bush had more brains than Obama has ears.
And I know who Väinämöinen was too!
I thought Bush handled that incident with incredible class. "I did see his sole." Bush had more brains than Obama has ears.
And I know who Väinämöinen was too!
Nice but…
I think Chaplin was funny, progressive in the new art of cinema, but I would never refer to his private life as heroic.
No, I take that back, heroic, fighting from being a penniless immigrant to movie mogul. But the second he touched an underage child, in my opinion, he became a criminal in dire need of prosecution.
Eric Cartman "My people want punch and pie!"
Here's one that's irritated me for years, one of my friend's favorites:
Be that as it may.
What the hell does that mean?
Sad that we have to occasionally hit the "reset" button on our ability to judge what is heinous. Sad that we have to produce a counter petition to denounce child rape and sodomy and… cry worthy that people would be afraid to sign said petition.
Appropriate usage of the word in instances such as this would require it encapsulate the letters "lle";
such as bu "lle" t.
Mine is "Oh, who can say…"
Pitooey!
Agreed, both were perverts. However, the article you linked to does not paint Chaplain [the man] as a hero; it's about how the heroic character in his film, "The Kid," is depicted, particularly in the lobby cards. Nowhere does the article claim that Chaplin [the man] was any kind of a hero. But just like Polanski, he was a brilliant film maker. IMHO, "Chinatown" is one of the best films ever made, but the little creep that directed it is still a little creep. And Chaplin did some exceptional film work, but he's was still scum.
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Dennis Miller's a rather peculiar fellow in this daty and age. He used to be a liberal, That's until he noticed that every liberal he knew was absolutely sure that they were correct on everything. He started to give the left the stink eye and started quizzing them on the issues, realizing that for all their absoluteness, they lacked the facts to back up all their surity. After 9-11 when he started hearing all the obvious crap about the Bush Administration literally having a hand in blowing up the World Trade center. He split the leftist lepers and quick! He lost alot of friends in the process and more than just a few gigs and a lot of prestige. He's a stand up guy who can't be bought and sold like a pretzel on a street corner. , He's an independent thinker. Something the masses of Hollywood wouldn't understand if you tattooed it into their forheads.
Dennis Miller's a rather peculiar fellow in this day and age. He used to be a liberal, That's until he noticed that every liberal he knew was absolutely sure that they were correct on everything. He started to give the left the stink eye and started quizzing them on the issues, realizing that for all their absoluteness, they lacked the facts to back up all their surity. After 9-11 when he started hearing all the obvious crap about the Bush Administration literally having a hand in blowing up the World Trade center. He split the leftist lepers and quick! He lost alot of friends in the process and more than just a few gigs and a lot of prestige. He's a stand up guy who can't be bought and sold like a pretzel on a street corner. , He's an independent thinker. Something the masses of Hollywood wouldn't understand if you tattooed it into their forheads.
Classic! Well stated. Thanks for the chuckle of the day!
Have you been hearing all the retractions from MSM types, like Ed Schultz, that are now admitting that they "reported" as fact unsubstantiated racist comments that Rush supposedly made? Seems they never bothered to verify the comments. Somehow, as soon as Rush started talking about suing them, they found they couldn't find any proof that he ever said what they said he said.
As far as his comment on Donovan McNabb's ability as a quarterback, that was his opinion of the player's performances at that time, and of the MEDIA'S overstating that ability in order to push an agenda.
Sounds a lot like my story. Except I was never really solidly in the liberal camp. My family, friends, neighbors, and I just have to the guy who just has to be different. So refused to pony up and register as a democrat.
I've lost friends also. But I don't really care. If some one will only consider me a friend if I believe in the same things they do, they aren't friend material. But I must say, the vast majority have been big enough to admit, during political debates, I do have solid points.
Honestly, I still don't think I've changed all that much, other than having gotten better educated. To paraphrase Reagan, I didn't leave the democrats, they left me.
I still want to save the world, I'm just smart enough to figure out trying the same things over and over, for thousands of years, they don't work. I'm no longer interested in things that make me feel good about myself, I'm interested in what works, what helps people.
What liberal pundits is Miller talking about? He implies they are all indistinguishable, but I haven't seen a single one come out and say Polanski should be free. Whoopi Goldberg is the only thing even close to a pundit of any of Polanski's supporters. (What she said about "rape-rape" was terribly insensitive and ignorant of the actual facts of the case).
Every liberal pundit, and virtually every human being for that matter has come out strongly against Polanski. Recent polls in France show that even there close to 80% of those socialist bastards think Polanski should serve his time too. Olbermann, Maddow, Stewart, Ed Shultz, and Janeane Garofalo have all stated that Polanski should serve his time with no "buts".
I'm not a liberal, and I also think that Polanski should serve his time in jail, no matter what it costs to get him here to do it. I just think it is disingenuous to imply that this is a "liberal/conservative" issue and that all liberals are someone lock-step behind letting Polanski go free.
What liberal pundits is Miller talking about? He implies they are all indistinguishable, but I haven't seen a single one come out and say Polanski should be free. Whoopi Goldberg is the only thing even close to a pundit of any of Polanski's supporters. (What she said about "rape-rape" was terribly insensitive and ignorant of the actual facts of the case).
Every liberal pundit, and virtually every human being for that matter has come out strongly against Polanski. Recent polls in France show that even there close to 80% of those socialist bastards think Polanski should serve his time too. Olbermann, Maddow, Stewart, Ed Shultz, and Janeane Garofalo have all stated that Polanski should serve his time with no "buts".
I'm not a liberal, and I also think that Polanski should serve his time in jail, no matter what it costs to get him here to do it. I just think it is disingenuous to imply that this is a "liberal/conservative" issue and that all liberals are lock-step behind letting Polanski go free.
What liberal pundits is Miller talking about? He implies they are all indistinguishable, but I haven't seen a single one come out and say Polanski should be free. Whoopi Goldberg is the only thing even close to a pundit. (What she said about "rape-rape" was terribly insensitive and ignorant of the actual facts of the case, but even she agrees Polanski should serve his time for his crimes).
Every liberal pundit, and virtually every human being for that matter has come out strongly against Polanski. Recent polls in France show that even there close to 80% of those socialist bastards think Polanski should serve his time too. Olbermann, Maddow, Stewart, Ed Shultz, and Janeane Garofalo have all stated that Polanski should serve his time with no "buts".
I'm not a liberal, and I also think that Polanski should serve his time in jail, no matter what it costs to get him here to do it. I just think it is disingenuous to imply that this is a "liberal/conservative" issue and that all liberals are lock-step behind letting Polanski go free.
I think that it is absurd to compare a child rapist– not molester! to a conservative attempting to spend his money in anyway he see fit. Where is your mind?!!!!!!!! Do you reach for an apple and pick up an orange?
And Bush pulled a Matrix dodging those loafers too……
I bet Obama would've caught them both in the mush….
They never would have made it throught the teleprompters.
I think he could have easily deflected them with his ears, if he wanted too. Or else just let them land in his ears, and publicly state the shoes were never thrown, because no one could find them.
He never dealt drugs you moron. One thing about you idiots is that your stories keep expanding. Rush didn't say anything racist. It's been proven. Moveon moron.
I'd like to see how everyone that signed the petition to free Polanski voted this past election….
In the same office: I forget the picture
GET BACK TO WORK
We don't pay you to believe in the power of dreams.
You make a valid point….
Or he'd just throw a couple of his "czars" in the way to catch the Buster Browns. He's good at throwing people in front of any mess heading his way….
He never dealt drugs you moron. One thing about you idiots is that your stories keep expanding. Rush didn't say anything racist. It's been proven. You just keep proving our point. Liberals can't prove their accusations, BUT just keep coming up with a more outlandish stories.
Translation: "You're absolutely correct, and I have no more evidence to support my claims. Prepare for ad hominem attacks."
Example: "Be that as it may, George W Bush is still a genocidal, sadistic, baby killer. Nyah. Nyah. Nyah."
He never dealt drugs you moron. He never doctor shopped. I'd figure as I'm assuming you're a liberal that you should be on Rush's side as for getting hooked on LEGAL drugs. One thing about you idiots is that your stories keep expanding. Rush didn't say anything racist. It's been proven. You just keep proving our point. Liberals can't prove their accusations, BUT just keep coming up with a more outlandish stories.
Every person on that petition that has stated their vote, preferred Obama. Being liberal doesn't make one a Polanski supporter, but being a Polanski supporter most assuredly includes zero McCain or Palin supporters.
Thanks Dennis, for eleminating an entire generation's battle cry: "But for my crazy parents, I could have…"
I know how to use it in a sentence, I've heard it a million times. Usually when my friend is stopping the conversation, and telling us what he is going to do.
But what does it mean?
Or did I just answer my own question?
yeah I don't remember seeing that "moral mastermind" Weinstein at any of the RNC rallies…..
Laugh of the day!!
I used to have a weak boss that put up lame weekly motivational posters which were always altered by the likes of me. Here is a company that makes a living out of anti-motivational posters. Spend some time reading all of them, there are few that just kill me: http://despair.com/. You're welcome
I used to have a weak boss that put up lame weekly motivational posters which were always altered by the likes of me. Here is a company that makes a living out of anti-motivational posters. Spend some time reading all of them, there are few that just kill me: http://despair.com/. You're welcome
http://www.despair.com/bailouts.html
I think we have a winner…
Mr. Polanski's butt will provide lots of fun in prison, but I digress.
Mr. Polanski's butt will provide lots of fun in prison, but I digress.
So, we learn that "but" is Dennis Miller's apparent least-favorite word.
The runners-up? "Used," "to," "be" and "funny."
I too am tried of asses, however , I am not positive that there is any 'side' of WHOOPI's ass I want to be on,…excellent article Dennis
I saw one once where a bear was catching in its mouth a salmon that was swimming upstream to spawn. The caption read, "Sometimes the journey of a thousand miles ends very, very badly."
"Has there been any comments by Miller about the denial of Limbaugh's attempt to be an NFL owner because of his racism?"
Well, isn't that just convenient. Now the story isn't about people accusing Limbaugh of being a racist, but about him refusing to admit that he's a racist. Talk about swallowing a lot of things.
Dennis Miller used to be a funny guy until he saw he could make more money trashing Bill Clinton and "liberals" and decided to sell his soul to conservatives wackos who needed a mouthpiece for their backward ideas.
Keep pitching, Dennis. Fox News will continue to pay you and other losers like you (Dick Morris comes to mind) and maybe when you die your judgemental God will send you to Hell!
Ah ha, it appears Mr. Miller has drawn the ire of some of the trolls. That could only mean one thing around here, and that is he must have hit on the truth. Your knee-jerk reaction to compare someone like Limbaugh to Polanski is tenuous at best and utterly pathetic in the least. Your desperation to draw a comparison between the two betrays your reluctance to admit the gross, wrong-headed behavior of the Hollywood elite who so quickly defended Polanski. I have a feeling your real fear in all this is that if those Hollywood elite could be so wrong about Polanski than they just might have been wrong in their assessment of Obama too. It sucks when you can't think for yourself. And really, was Rush "swallowing thousands of pills a week"? Sounds to me like you're an aspiring journalist over at MSNBC. Good luck with that!
Have you slapped a Libtard yet today?
Dennie hoes his own row and you sound like a growler.
Ever the sanctimonious prick, I see. So I guess your favorite phrase would be 'never was' or perhaps your favorite word would be 'nobody' since that's what you are.
Ever the sanctimonious prick, I see. So I guess your favorite phrase would be 'never was' or perhaps your favorite word would be 'nobody' since that's what you are.
Oh, and way to avoid the subject you child rapist sympathizer.
I don't know about that. My grandmother used to say that there are more horse's a$$e$ out there than there are horses.
I'd like to slap MovieBob with a sledgehammer. That'd be fun.
Ever the sanctimonious prick, I see. So I guess your favorite phrase would be 'never was' or perhaps your favorite word would be 'nobody' since that's what you are.
Oh, and way to avoid the subject you child rapist sympathizer. I guess he's not funny now that he criticizes you and your disgusting policies, huh?
How about:
I know what Polanski did was monstrous but, we know exactly what to do with monsters. It involves falling out of a tree and breaking his neck.
It's also funny how all you have are silly, third-rate, poorly constructed ad-hominem attacks. You are such a bottom feeder.
The Bush administration and congress (w/ an idiot named Obama in it) started and eventually voted for the TARP bill as well as the stimulus bill. However-, the money is being poorly managed now by the Obamaites and was never intended to bailout US state governments like CA and other states full of un-funded mandates.
I don't know about that. = 'but'
Thanks for this link–I especially like the on Government: If you think the problems we create are bad, just wait until you see our solutions.
Thanks for this link–I especially like the one on Government: If you think the problems we create are bad, just wait until you see our solutions.
That is a *lot* of brains…
Sorry, cheap shot, I know.
"Be that as it may" is an irritating one because it never adds any clarity and is condescending to boot. I translate it as: "That may be true." If someone uses "be that as it may", he can use the even more insidious implied "but", like in Nathan's great example above.
Instead of attacking the messenger in an immature way, why don't you disagree with what he says in a coherent comment? You won't win anyone over with high school name calling. What is your opinion on the subject?
This brings up another one of my pet peeve phrases: "Apropos of nothing."
Not excusing what Chaplin did, but for what it's worth he also married Lita Grey (which, back then, was considered "doing the right thing" in that situation.). No skulking off to Europe. The marriage was doomed, of course – but he ended up paying her the largest divorce settlement in history up to that time. So I'd venture to say that among statutory-raping Hollywood hot-shots, Chaplin was twice the man Polanski is.
I think Hollywood attracts some seriously broken people. It's sad that the world gives them a pass while your garden variety dysfunctional, alcoholic, drug-addicted, maritally-unfaithful, always-in-trouble-with-the-law borderline psychotic trailer trash has to suffer.
My opinion on the subject is Miller is a blowhard so anything he says I usually either ignore or automatically take the opposite position whether I know anything about the subject or not.
This phrase speaks volumes to your mindset: "I usually either ignore or automatically take the opposite position whether I know anything about the subject or not." And you say this with absolutely no sense of embarrassment–astounding!
Everything after but, is BS.
the old wise ones told me "everything after but is bullshit"
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