Mitch Potter at the Star seems to think that George W. Bush's not being particularly offended that he had shoes thrown at him is a sign of obliviousness and Bush should have been more offended.
First of all, I don't think not being bothered by the shoes is a sign of obliviousness, it's just a sign that shoes have no emotional weight for Bush, as they don't for most of us I suspect. If someone disses you with something that's intended as a dis but just doesn't feel like a dis to you, you aren't going to feel offended even if you understand intellectually that it was intended as a really hardcore dis.
For example, in Quebec profanity, crisse can be pretty hardcore. But when we as anglos hear it, it doesn't carry that emotional weight. We hear and react emotionally to "Christ!", even when we understand intellectually that the speaker meant "Motherfucker!" (Yes, I know it's more often used adjectivally, but it's the best cognate example I can think of at the moment. If you have anything better, please post in the comments.)
So what I'm wondering is what sort of reaction does this columnist think would be appropriate? How would a person express offence on something that they don't even feel is much of a dis in a way appropriately becoming a head of state, and that would be more helpful to the situation than just brushing it off? (Especially considering that he's already invaded and is occupying his country?)
2 comments:
I think what Potter is getting at is that the motivation for Bush's response is not clear. Does he understand that he was very 'hardcore dissed' and is sort of 'dissing the disser' by shrugging it off as if it were no big deal? Or is he truly too oblivious/dumb to be offended?
To borrow your example, if you understand the speaker meant 'motherfucker,' wouldn't you be just as offended and upset by that as if he had used the actual word?
Whether it's logical or not, I wouldn't be as offended if they didn't use the actual word, because part of what would offend me is carried in the baggage of the word. The word triggers a bit of a visceral emotional reaction, as I'm sure the shoe does, and I don't have that reaction to crisse or the soles of shoes or various other insults that I learned the cold sterility of the classroom or at the computer rather than having them hurled at me by bullies on the playground.
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