Guttersnipes
Once again, a conservative rant is spreading throughout the liberal blogosphere and I’m more interested in word choice. In this case, it’s Bill O’Reilly’s McCarthyite rant against his enemies and his use of the word “guttersnipes”.
What is a guttersnipe?? I just assumed it was one of those made-up conservative insults like “assclown” or “crapweasel”, but it actually appears in the dictionary :
gut·ter·snipe n. : a child who spends most of his time in the streets especially in slum areas (Synonym: street urchin)
So when Bill O’Reilly is trying to find term to smear his enemies, this is what he compares them to :
I know conservatives don’t care about the poor, but when did poverty become an insult to these people?
13 comments
Copy link for RSS feed for comments on this post
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
To the rich, calling someone poor has always been an insult. That’s why the term “guttersnipe” even exists. The people with money, going down the steets in their carriages, needed a way to describe the poor, ill-fed children playing in the dirt as they went by, and “guttersnipe” seemed to fill the bill. (In that way, it’s an early version of the made up words you mentioned.) Another definition (and likely the one O’Reilly was thinking of when he used the term) is “a person of the lowest moral or economic station,” which probably came about because the rich have always associated the poor with low morals.
Comment by Randall — November 15, 2005 @ 1:13 pm
“Assclown” is a conservative insult? I was sure it was equal opportunity.
Comment by Mike C. — November 15, 2005 @ 1:23 pm
Being poor became an insult when Reagan was eleced.
Comment by Kamachanda — November 15, 2005 @ 1:54 pm
Take the example of Barbara Bush, who famously declared her fear–fear!–that Katrina’s victims were “doing quite well” in having their homes and lives destroyed. They were, after all, receiving “free” food, drink and shelter, courtesy of the taxpayers. The horror!
This is the superior affluent mentality. I think they actually see themselves as a greater, more deserving class of being. These people can’t fart without someone giving them money, but the notion that someone down-and-out might get something free without, say, being sold into slavery, enrages them.
Comment by Jack — November 16, 2005 @ 8:02 am
I have a great idea! lets start a political war and alienate half of the american population. Lets not even talk about reconciling partisan issues and policy. Instead we can make it fun fashion show where the only point is to come up with the next conservative jibe or liberal insult.
Just because O’Reilly is an asshole doesn’t mean he speaks for all who are right of the left and just because he is small minded isn’t fodder for you to use against any kind of ideology. There is a whole middle ground of political belief you are carelessly lumping into another political extreme, quit polarizing yourselves. No matter how “righteous” you think your beliefs are, there is always going to be someone who shares them who you would rather not.
Clinton got a blowjob in the oval office. What does that have to do with liberalism? – nothing. Its an issue of character not politics. The republicans used it as ammunition against the left. Don’t be guilty of the same crime.
Your not engaging in a political discussion, your having a circle jerk with others who hold the exact sames beliefs as you do. Go talk to a conservative, convince him. Bring him over to liberal team but don’t dismiss half of America as lesser forms of life, you all know better than that.
Comment by cakeman — November 16, 2005 @ 12:25 pm
Jackaninny? Lollygagger? Layabout? Cad? Masher? Ruffian?
Comment by DUDACKATTACK!!! — November 16, 2005 @ 1:52 pm
I agree with you dudackattack, However, you are missing one major point. Taking the “high” ground and discussing political thought is no longer acceptable, nor does it produce results. IE Kerry in the last election. The assclowns for truth smeared him every which way. Did he respond? No, he stayed focused on the issues. Sadly, the average joe american is the WWE fed type. Sensationalism sells not facts. Why else would we have a president that cannot speak and form ideas on his own?
Comment by Mouse — November 17, 2005 @ 6:07 am
When the right invented swiftboating it became time to take the gloves off.
Why can the right have rush, O’Reilly, malkin, coulter, savage and a whole host of other right wing numbskulls who have no interest in America other then how they can make a dollar off of hate, lies and bullshit. Oh boy we have Moore and Al Franken.
Why can the right own K street and big business PAC money and then have the balls to bitch about the money Soros gives to the left.
No I say the political war has already been started, the bombs are dropping and we either fire back or we deserve what we get.
What do we have. A press who is afraid to report the truth and a country who has been put in the toilet by the most partisan extremo right wing wack jobs in history.
No I love my country too much to take one more fucking day of this, I say for every salvo they shoot we send 10. For every lie they state, we uncover 10 truths.
The day of apathy is over.
To remain a nice guy does not work in the Karl Rove era.
Comment by Happy — November 17, 2005 @ 10:48 am
Look, I know that living in America presently we are feeling the negative of extreme conservative administration, however corruption does not reside in the political affiliation, it resides in the person. I’m a student in America but I grew up in Canada. Canada is currently under liberal administration. Although we enjoy the socially liberal policies in which I personally believe(i.e. pro choice, gay marriage etc), our government is mired with corruption and mismanagement as well.
Our health care system although universal is third world calibur, my friend can’t get a tumor the size of a softball removed from her for 6 months, MRI’s have a wait list of a year(at least) oh yeah and covicted criminals get expedited through the system but not law abiding citizens.
The highest level of Candian Liberal authority(Prime minister Martin) Payed out 100 million to advertising agencies while he was keeping the books. When a vote of no cofidence went up in parliament, the liberals held the vote the day a deciding conservative vote was having open heart surgery.
Due to the high tax rate, sometimes upward of 60-70% of ones income is taxed, the economy is stagnant because its no longer equitable to do business in Canada, because of this there is no money for social programs or public schools (and remember governments dont generate money for public programs, the business you tax for said money does)
The point is corruption doesn’t exist on one side of the politcal spectrum, it exists in people. All i’m asking is that you inform yourself before you make political statements, don’t just spout party line. Everytime you rattle off a flash in the pan political catch phrase like “corporate america is evil” or “if you don’t like america you can get out!” a political consultant gets its wings – they laugh because you were stupid enough to buy their easy answers, they got your vote cheap.
If you want to talk about fiscal and monetary policy read a book on economics – don’t quote me CNN or a partisan editorial. A lot of what is said is opinion, so why don’t you educate yourselves on the underlying systems of which that opinion was formed and then decide whether or not its valid.
I’m not asking that you change your beliefs, im asking you to think about why you hold them.
Comment by cakeman — November 17, 2005 @ 12:56 pm
What, exactly, does any of this have to do with O’Reilly’s rant?
I would think O’Reilly was an asshole and a scumbag no matter what his politics. It’s not about partisan jibes; it’s about people living and dying.
Neither I nor my comments were part of anyone’s “circle jerk,” cakeman. Greg asked what I thought was an uncharacteristically naive question, and I thought I should demonstrate how pervasive this attitude is among the befanged, corrupt rich (yes, there are nice rich people, too, and some of them are Republicans). Barbara Bush is not the only example; there are many.
I don’t see anything defensible in the mentality that regards the mere fact of poverty as a character flaw. I regard THAT as a character flaw.
And that’s what I thought we were talking about. Nice digression, guy.
Comment by Jack — November 17, 2005 @ 3:10 pm
Republicans are the ass-wipes who still haven’t gotten it through their heads that the Michael Douglas character in the movie Wall Street was actually the villain. They have been laboring under the mistaken belief that he was the hero since the ’80s.
Comment by Heretic — November 17, 2005 @ 7:51 pm
It really is amazing to see someone immediately steer this into the tired ground of the left/right paradigm illusion. Give me a break cakeman, the post is about what a dick O’Reilly is. All of them get away with death threats, lies, slander, etc. on a daily basis. Try to find me one person that tells the truth who isn’t under the boot of the NSA, ADL, CIA, and FBI. Get a clue. There’s nothing I hate more than a person who acts like a knowitall and lectures strangers when they obviously don’t know jack shit.
Comment by mondo — November 20, 2005 @ 3:29 am
Look guy,
O’reilly is a jackass, there is not much to talk about there, however I didn’t know having a discussion about partisan politics was so tired for you. I’m just trying to get away from the fossilized rhetoric of traditional linear ideological criticism. I didn’t come on here just to rant but when you caboose something like
“This is the superior affluent mentality. I think they actually see themselves as a greater, more deserving class of being”
onto a thirty second soundbite, I think its a stretch. Comments like this have more to do with someones emotions then well thought out political discourse. That is unless you think sweeping generalizations are a good thing.
I’m glad to see your trying so hard mondo, your references to “them” are very convincing. I’m glad you think I obviously know jack shit when all you’ve done is ramble about “the man” and listed some government organizations. Perhaps you should read Rolling Stone a little more closly or catch up on your MTV before forming your next political thought. Jackass
Comment by cakeman — November 22, 2005 @ 12:56 pm