Another trite bumper sticker which the owner thinks is brilliant.
Spotted in Ithaca:
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Somehow, the “backwards” term should apply to the current administration…
Didn’t Reagan say that a time or two? (if nothing else, Ithaca being Ithaca, float that rumor and they’ll scrape it off molto pronto)
If I were the Professor, I’d leave a little note on her car, citing what you and drdog09 below have brought up. Something along the lines of,
“Ronald Reagan used to love to say this about this beautiful and talented conservative Republican woman!”
I think you’re right. That sticker would be scraped off so fast …
Indeed she did everything Fred did…but not as well. The Astaire-Rogers combination is one of my favorite examples of how a team can be more than the sum of its parts.
Astaire danced with better dancers–Cyd Charisse, for example, Eleanor Powell, and for that matter Rita Hawywork was a pretty good hoofer herself. But the two didn’t mesh in the same special way that Fred and Ginger did.
By the way, the story that his Hollywood screen test results were: “Can’t sing. Can’t act. Balding. Can dance a little” is obviously apocryphal. Fred was already well-known from Broadway. I was sorry to learn this because I used to feel that I fulfilled three quarters of that: I can’t sing. I can’t act. I’m balding. But I can’t dance.
Note I would put on the car:
Astaire could even make a hat rack look like it was a professional dancer.
I’m being picky.
It is BACKWARD, not backwards!
Have you ever seen a plural backward? It is a DIRECTION!
}}} I’m being picky. It is BACKWARD, not backwards!
While you are essentially correct, what you are dealing with is a human attempt to deal with the difficulties in transitioning from a voiced alveolar stop to other phonemes.
Much as one turns “a” into “an” when dealing with a succeeding vowel, the “s” does a similar job in easing the transition of the tongue from a hard sound at the very front of the mouth to other sounds.
It’s not “legitimate” yet, but it’s clearly one of those language elements in transition… hence, while I’m not one of those “do anything you want with the language” — I have to refrain from being a Grammar Nazi myself — I think this one is a losing battle: There is an actual, legitimate reason for doing this…
Did Ginger ever support the weight of her dance partner as if he were a mere feather?
I think she danced with a chicken, once… :^D
The popular face of most of liberalism’s sub-isms since the ‘70s are fairly well represented by trite slogans found on bumper stickers and protest signs.
One that has always irritated me because of the smugness and cluelessness of those who display it is the one that says “I don’t do homework in your church. Don’t pray in my school.”
Those who offer up such a nugget probably believe, erroneously, they are far more clever than anyone else in the room, but discussing first amendment rights with them is as fruitless an endeavor as explaining quantum physics to your dog-although your dog would at least be happy as you do it.
I don’t do homework in your church. Don’t pray in my school.
Never mind that education is compulsory, whereas religion is not. More evidence that progs can’t reason worth a damn. (Insert rolling eyes emoticon)
Respectfully, Professor…it’s true.
Coming from the distaff side I’ve always appreciated that line. Never have I taken it to mean that women are better than men…only just as good. There’s no contention that Astaire couldn’t have done the same. That he didn’t is not a reflection on him or men in general.
Surely you can find something more outrageous to get exercised about.
This is actually, to the best of my knowledge, an inaccurate meme originally popularized (if not created) by Gene Siskel, of “Siskel & Ebert” fame.
The problem with it is that it shows a complete and utter failure to actually have WATCHED all that many Astaire and Rodgers movies.
Do it — go watch one, then notice how often Astaire whirls Rogers off to the side to do a solo number she couldn’t match.
What Rogers did was *impressive* — no argument. That she was better than Astaire is beyond arguably false.
There’s only one dancer in the movies who can possibly argue with Astaire, offhand, and that’s Gene Kelly.
Up in Heaven, those two are having nightly dance offs to impress the angels, and loving every minute. ;-D
I have to agree with creeper. 73 films. Oscar winner, best actress, 1940. She only did 10 films with Astaire so her career did not revolve around Fred. Rogers was not picked to be Astaire’s prop, she was picked to be in films like `Roberta` because she was one of the few actresses who would be able to keep up with the man in the dance routines.
If anything you should be defending the lady, she was a staunch conservative all her life. And that is the inside joke ON the Progressives. Were she alive should would have roasted Sandra Fluke.
Ahh, drdog, a man who knows what he is talking about. Growing up, my mom and I would watch Astaire and Rogers flicks together and marvel at their grace and athleticism.
I miss you MOM. 🙁
Ginger Rodgers peed standing up backwards and in high heels?
Amazing, and messsy.
And absolutely tasteless on your part.
…And still quite funny despite its being admittedly crude, based on the ridiculously absurd proposition it makes.
I never considered the quote to be a knock on Fred Astaire. I always found a lot of positives in the phrase.
IMHO, “dancing backward and in high heels” reflects a great deal of trust and faith in your partner to keep his eye on the ball even when you can’t see where you’re going.
Around our house we often quip “backward and in high heels” when we’re trying to organize a ridiculous number of tasks for our large family that require a great deal of logistical planning and coordination in a limited amount of time. (Think school, church and sports practices and events for 4 kids during Christmas.) I consider myself an amateur since I rarely wear high heels – I have a sister in law with 8 kids who always wears high heels and has been known to issue printed itineraries to her family.
Having only 2 kids, I’m a complete amateur and only yesterday did I trade my flip flops for sneakers. I have to admire your sister-in-law. The thought of any more than 2 is frightening.
Thank you, that is how I take that saying, too. Sorry, Prof, have to disagree with this one!
It might be trite and not too brilliant, however, from an athletic point of view, Ms. Rogers was very impressive going backward and Fred Astaire was magical and athletically impressive as well.
The implication is Ginger did something Fred ‘could not’ do.
The implication is Ginger was an example of a ‘community’ which was oppressed by one ideology and not the other.
There are sexists and non-sexists regardless of party affiliation and regardless of gender.
There are women who are sexist against women.
There are men who are sexist against men.
There are men who are sexist against women.
There are women who are sexist against men.
Using anti-sexism against conservatives has been a ploy of the leftist progressives for many decades.
They use it as a political weapon and skillfully utilize the liberal media to project the illusion that they, the progressives, are the political good guys and conservatives are the political bad guys.
This pretense is progressive smoke and mirrors.
The leftists’ tactics against Hillary in the 2008 primary was sexist just as their treatment of Sarah was sexist.
The difference was they didn’t hate Hillary but they absolutely hated Sarah and for the same reason they hate all conservative women.
We conservative women severely irritate leftist progressives in particular because we are defended by the right against the left’s sexist attacks.
We conservative women (and many conservative men) stand up to their progressive sexist attacks and, by doing so, reveal the sexist hypocrisy of leftist progressivism.
It ‘mucks’ them up.
VF, you may find the following comment about women’s roles in movies of interest, as well as possible ammunition:
http://neoneocon.com/2012/12/11/movies-have-become-torture/#comment-476561
You may also enjoy the rest of the discussion on movies, but that specific comment deals with the hoary meme of female quality beginning in the 60s “thanks to liberals”.
Actually it was already well under way in the 30s (look at the lead female in Cimmaron, one of the very first Oscar winners, as well as the very independent, assertive females in Frank Capra movies), but by the 40s, if you look at the roles of women, they were remarkably modernized already.
The **50s** were the aberration as they tried to shoehorn women BACK into the kitchen.
All the liberals did was get in front of the parade and claim they were leading it.
Is this John Kerry’s car?
Sally: Did you know that John Kerry served in Vietnam and was awarded some medals? 😉