In a NYT article today regarding Condoleeza Rice's damage control of an alleged raping of a Japanese girl by a US Marine, she is quoted as saying, "Our concern right now is to see that justice is done, to get to the bottom of it, and our concern is for the girl and her family. We really, really deeply regret it.”
The newsworthy point from the NYT perspective is the rape accusation, and I think rape is among the most heinous crimes and should carry the harshest penalties. But what is newsworthy to me about this news item is the reallys. You know where I'm going, but let's play it in slow motion.
Regret. Sincere regret is a nice sentiment to express and clearly indicates the speaker's feelings.
Deep regret. Deep is a meaningful modifier, indicating more than just your everyday regret. What happened must have been pretty awful.
Really deep regret. Well, shit, this regret is more serious than we thought. More than just deep? This person's regret must be interfering with daily life.
Really really deep regret. Goddam. This person can probably barely walk for all the regret they're feeling. I'm starting to feel bad for them!
Condie stopped at 2 reallys, which is a tremendous display of moderation. One more really and we might have had to forgive her for doing that bullshit she's regretting in the first place.
Showing posts with label language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label language. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Friday, October 19, 2007
associations
In theory all hackneyed expressions are by definition abhorrent. In practice, however, not only do some offend me unequally, but a few I even like. As a proud Freudian I attribute everything to associations; examples and discussion arise from the couch:
"IT IS WHAT IT IS."
My friend L. thinks I hate this because it's senseless, it's three words stretched across five, and it's instantly repetitive--repetitive even if you don't repeat it. This may be true. It is also true that I most strongly associate IT IS WHAT IT IS with my former coworker N., who used the saying as an all-purpose excuse for incompetence. Didn't file a court brief on time? "The material was given to me late--the case was doomed from the start--IT IS WHAT IT IS."
"WHAT CAN YOU DO?"
Although WHAT CAN YOU DO? is more or less interchangeable with IT IS WHAT IT IS, I don't mind it at all. Perhaps this is because it asks a question. Say WHAT CAN YOU DO?, and who knows?--the listener may have your answer. The expression, paradoxically, is both an acknowledgment of defeat and a final attempt at a solution; and doomed resilience has always resonated for me. But more likely my tolerance for WHAT CAN YOU DO? goes back to Seinfeld. Fifteen years ago the Whale and I saw him do stand-up at the Fox Theater in Detroit. One of his jokes went like this: "Every Thanksgiving my family used to get into the same heated fight. Politics, sports, that time Uncle Joey ran over the dog--it all came up. But just when things started to boil over, my grandfather would stand up and put his hands on his stomach. He'd let out this big sigh and say, 'Well? What can you do?' And that effectively ended all argument."
"DO WHAT YOU GOT TO DO."
L. expected me to hate DO WHAT YOU GOT TO DO for the same reasons she hates IT IS WHAT IS. (Senselessness, repetition...) Instead it makes me smile, especially when it's voiced by someone from Brooklyn. I attribute this to how the expression features in the story my friend W. tells about his son's conception: "I remember the exact moment. I was sick as a dog. I had the flu, and I had just finished throwing up. But then my wife called me into the bedroom. She said the basal temp was right, the stars were aligned. I got in there, did what I had to do, and--" (fist pump) "--knocked her up good."
"IT IS WHAT IT IS."
My friend L. thinks I hate this because it's senseless, it's three words stretched across five, and it's instantly repetitive--repetitive even if you don't repeat it. This may be true. It is also true that I most strongly associate IT IS WHAT IT IS with my former coworker N., who used the saying as an all-purpose excuse for incompetence. Didn't file a court brief on time? "The material was given to me late--the case was doomed from the start--IT IS WHAT IT IS."
"WHAT CAN YOU DO?"
Although WHAT CAN YOU DO? is more or less interchangeable with IT IS WHAT IT IS, I don't mind it at all. Perhaps this is because it asks a question. Say WHAT CAN YOU DO?, and who knows?--the listener may have your answer. The expression, paradoxically, is both an acknowledgment of defeat and a final attempt at a solution; and doomed resilience has always resonated for me. But more likely my tolerance for WHAT CAN YOU DO? goes back to Seinfeld. Fifteen years ago the Whale and I saw him do stand-up at the Fox Theater in Detroit. One of his jokes went like this: "Every Thanksgiving my family used to get into the same heated fight. Politics, sports, that time Uncle Joey ran over the dog--it all came up. But just when things started to boil over, my grandfather would stand up and put his hands on his stomach. He'd let out this big sigh and say, 'Well? What can you do?' And that effectively ended all argument."
"DO WHAT YOU GOT TO DO."
L. expected me to hate DO WHAT YOU GOT TO DO for the same reasons she hates IT IS WHAT IS. (Senselessness, repetition...) Instead it makes me smile, especially when it's voiced by someone from Brooklyn. I attribute this to how the expression features in the story my friend W. tells about his son's conception: "I remember the exact moment. I was sick as a dog. I had the flu, and I had just finished throwing up. But then my wife called me into the bedroom. She said the basal temp was right, the stars were aligned. I got in there, did what I had to do, and--" (fist pump) "--knocked her up good."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)