Zompist Bboard Again

I've been going back and forth on whether I should post or link to the one or two copypasta that "britbong" alludes to. You can go find it yourselves, I don't wanna get banned. Well, it's not that inappropriate, but it doesn't suit the tone of our forum.

Six bongers you say

alice wrote: ↑Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:40 am

Ser wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 11:36 pm "-bong" refers to the sound of Big Ben.

No that's "dong". "Bong" is something you boil interestingly-scented water in.

Eh, "bong" can refer to strikes of the bell.

Slereah wrote: ↑Wed Oct 03, 2018 4:01 amSix bongers you say

[image link]

I realize you're French, and you might be doing this "for science", but we should draw the line somewhere... :)

I just hope this is not too big a digression from Sal's great posts.

Well, it's informative to see how discussion of Britain is received by other nationalities. Maybe I shouldn't bother anymore. I'm sorry if that's how I've been sounding to people.

Oh for goodness' sake. I was being momentarily flippant, but wasn't attempting to sound dismissive or condescending--I certainly appreciate Sal's discussion, and I think almost everyone else on the board does too.

Vijay wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:44 pm

Linguoboy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 9:24 am"Bong" is Indian English slang for "Bengali"

That's news to me. I've never come across this usage before.

Wow, there's a whole Wikipedia article on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bong_(term).

I thought it originated in Mumbai but according to that article it was first noted in New Delhi. Unlike the term "Bongal", it's not considered pejorative by most younger Bengalis. I learned it along with a raft of other similar terms like "Gujju", "Madrassi", and "Sardarji".

dhok wrote: ↑Wed Oct 03, 2018 5:59 am Oh for goodness' sake. I was being momentarily flippant, but wasn't attempting to sound dismissive or condescending--I certainly appreciate Sal's discussion, and I think almost everyone else on the board does too.

Yeah I can see that, but because nobody in the UK has ever heard the term "Britbong" we are inclined to make guesses as to its meaning, and just from sound alone many of us would assume it's pejorative.

I would suggest we all hug this out except English people are involved so I know that's right out but I don't know what to do instead so when in doubt--tea, anyone?

Linguoboy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 03, 2018 12:45 pm I would suggest we all hug this out except English people are involved so I know that's right out but I don't know what to do instead so when in doubt--tea, anyone?

I mean I'm happy for the tea but also I'm a northerner I love giving out hugs to people and just generally being friendly.

As a Welshman, I’ll just sit on the sidelines and nurse a grudge.

I don't think I realized where you were from before now, or maybe I forgot.

Linguoboy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 03, 2018 10:27 am

Vijay wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:44 pm

Linguoboy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 9:24 am"Bong" is Indian English slang for "Bengali"

That's news to me. I've never come across this usage before.

Wow, there's a whole Wikipedia article on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bong_(term).

I thought it originated in Mumbai but according to that article it was first noted in New Delhi. Unlike the term "Bongal", it's not considered pejorative by most younger Bengalis. I learned it along with a raft of other similar terms like "Gujju", "Madrassi", and "Sardarji".

Never heard "Bongal," either, but I've definitely heard all those other terms (not sure whether I've seen the spelling <Madrassi> before, though; I probably would've guessed just <Madrasi>). I also didn't know until just now that using Madras(s)i to mean 'South Indian' is now considered outdated.

I'm pretty out of touch with Indian regional stereotypes in general, it seems. All I knew about stereotypes about Bengalis is the "Happy New Year!" "Shame to you!" joke, plus I know vaguely that Bengalis are supposed to be snobbish and Hindi-speakers apparently think they sound like this.

Returning to current events, could Sal describe at an appropriate level of some detail what he thinks Boris is trying to achieve, beyond building up profile for a potential leadership bid?

He's building up profile for a leadership bid.


There's basically four things you need to do to win an election:
- get yourself noticed
- endear yourself to a bloc of voters
- demonstrate to that bloc that you're their best choice
- persuade enough people outside your bloc that you're better than the guy from the other bloc.

Boris is flailing about in public to get himself noticed again. Having been humiliated in the last contest, then spending time stuck as foreign secretary where people don't like you making a fool of yourself so your profile isn't actually that prominent, he's fallen out of the news a bit, so now he needs to get back in it, for reasons other than having an affair. He's also targeting his bloc: weirdly, it's hardline brexiteers with a side of populism, but that's where he's ended up stuck.

So his solution to the four problems is:
- get himself in the papers a lot
- show that he's willing to stand up to the prime minister, the EU, the forces of political correctness, and all the other enemies of the common tory
- hope that something terrible happens somehow to people like Rees-Mogg, that puts him back at the head of the queue
- make conciliatory gestures to the liberals to remind them that he used to be a liberal centrist and doesn't actually want to hang everyone


Will this work? No. Stage one, that'll work. Stage two is harder, because he's stuck shilling to a crowd who know he's never actually liked them or agreed with them. Stage three seems like a dead end right now, but it's not unreasonable for him to hope that the current flavour of the month will go out of favour just like he did. Stage four isn't working at all right now... but maybe he's laying the groundwork for a 'look, I've never been a Nazi' in the future, once the furore dies down.

He wouldn't win the election this month. May has repeatedly secretly promised to resign by August - I really, really don't think Boris could win then, but maybe he thinks he could. But in five years? Maybe there could be a role for him then. He probably sees these as his Churchillian Wilderness Years. I suspect he's damaging his long-term reputation too much now in the pursuit of temporary attention, but what do I know?

----


The other way of looking at it: what should he be doing? If May stays in power, he's never getting another political job. If he wants another political job, he needs to a) bring down May, and b) make himself prominent and popular enough that he can't be ignored by the replacement. He's actually doing a pretty good job of both those things right now. I don't think he's going to be Foreign Secretary again... but given the position he's in right now, he's not got a lot of options. It's probably down to "make a big aggressive play and hope things work out" or "fade into obscurity", and BJ doesn't seem suited to obscurity.

If nothing else, he's guaranteeing himself a job as a columnist for life...


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Of course, then there's the OTHER other way to look at it. He's obviously lost his energy and enthusiasm; he's probably depressed. His wife and kids are leaving him. He's lost his reputation and his job and everybody laughs at him. Allegedly he has a cocaine problem.

Running around in a field of wheat screaming "look at me, look at me!" may just be his natural psychological defence (/self-destruction) mechanism at this point...

However, why in the almighty fuck the Prime Minister was up on stage "busting moves" (as Tories are insisting we call it) to Abba's "Dancing Queen" is really one which I'll have to leave to a more astute observer, and presumably one with a better understanding of head injuries.

Salmoneus wrote: ↑Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:09 amRunning around in a field of wheat screaming "look at me, look at me!" may just be his natural psychological defence (/self-destruction) mechanism at this point...

Wasn't it actually grass?

Salmoneus wrote: ↑Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:26 am However, why in the almighty fuck the Prime Minister was up on stage "busting moves" (as Tories are insisting we call it) to Abba's "Dancing Queen" is really one which I'll have to leave to a more astute observer, and presumably one with a better understanding of head injuries.

That's easy. She's going for the youth vote, groovers!

A series of pictures of that was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal this morning. I was, um. Not expecting that at 8:45 AM. Intensely amusing, nevertheless.

(not that I'm much of a WSJ reader. We always have a copy in the breakroom at work, so I skim the headlines when waiting for my friends to finish making their elaborate pourover coffee. The Mansion section is the best bit because rich people spend their money in incredibly stupid ways; I enjoy reading extracts aloud to my friends, who have threatened to stop being my friends if I keep reading from it, but it's too good to stop.)

How many times must the Maybot fail at dancing before she is deactivated?

Salmoneus wrote: ↑Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:26 amHowever, why in the almighty fuck the Prime Minister was up on stage "busting moves" (as Tories are insisting we call it) to Abba's "Dancing Queen" is really one which I'll have to leave to a more astute observer, and presumably one with a better understanding of head injuries.

Are they already casting the next season of Strictly...?

Serious question: are there any, I mean, any, remaining May supporters? Looks to me that it's all just people who either can't agree on whom to replace her with, or who want to leave her in place until after Brexit so that no one else has to preside over that.

I dare say her husband is broadly in her favour at least?