January 17, 2018

Fit-to-print headlines in the NYT.

I was struck by the headline on this Frank Bruni column: "Donald Trump Will Soil You. Ask Lindsey Graham."

Soil you?!

From the text of the column, I see 8 examples of "shit"/"shit-" and only one "soil-."
... “shithole” or “shithouse”... the initial accounts that Trump said “shithole”... “shithouse countries” rather than “shithole countries”... I find a title for a tell-all about complicity in this rotten age. Call the book “Shit and Its Suffixes.”... Graham has too often and exuberantly played the flatterer, and where did it land him? In a shithole. Or a shithouse. Either way, he’s soiled.
What is the NYT decency standard right now? Why couldn't Bruni have the punchline he worked so hard to set up. He must have wanted to say Either way, he's shit on, and the headline — without self-censorship — would have been Donald Trump Will Shit On You.

Maybe the powers that be at the NYT decided that the direct quote of the President should be printed (even if it's only an alleged quote), but that wouldn't authorize Bruni's quip about the book title “Shit and Its Suffixes." That's an invention of the NYT writer.

If they're going to allow the witticism "Shit and Its Suffixes," why clench the sphincter on Donald Trump Will Shit On You?

"Donald Trump Will Soil You" just sounds silly. Either do the rude talk or don't.

At least pick a euphemism that sounds like something that might come out of a flesh-and-blood person. No one says "He soiled me!"

46 comments:

Tommy Duncan said...

"NYT fouls own nest"

Curious George said...

"Did Graham tell himself then that he was craftily staying in Trump’s good graces so that he could coax the president toward saner, better immigration policy? How did that wager work out? We now know the answer, and so does Graham."

First sentence is a hypothetical. But is treated as fact from there.

These people have no rules. No boundaries. No shame. None.

Forget Trump. Look in the fucking mirror.


wendybar said...

#WOKE Ann....You get it. This is the supposed newspaper that the elites read....and spread their "soil" to the rest of the media....That's how "soil" spreads!!!

Meade said...

"All the News That's Fit to Pinch"

Professional lady said...


The media have been besoiling themselves for a long time.

Phil 314 said...

Gosh we are just luxuriating in the discussion of "shit".

Did we have this much fun with "A big fucking deal"?

Sebastian said...

Dick Durbin tried to screw Trump. Lindsey Graham tried to fuck with Trump.

Trump does not want to be screwed or fucked with. His shit hit the fan.

Then Tricky Dick soiled on Trump. Lindsey Graham isn't man enough to stand up to that shit.

Kevin said...

I suspect Graham soiled himself a bit when he realized Trump wasn't going for the "compromise".

Kevin said...

GUARD TWO: One Timex digital watch, broken. One unused prophylactic. One soiled.

YoungHegelian said...

At least pick a euphemism that sounds like something that might come out of a flesh-and-blood person.

No shit, Sherlock.

Big Mike said...

No one says "He soiled me!"

Nope. When it comes to Donald Trump they say “He broke me!” Is Lindsey Graham going to find himself commiserating with Kathy Griffin? She is still crying bitter tears and Trump hadn’t so much as snapped his fingers to make it happen.

rehajm said...

Since NYT fired a bunch of editors reporters are choosing their own headlines in certain circumstances. It is fun to speculate what happened in this case.

Kevin said...

Still pushing the Trump is crazy meme, though: Would the Air Force Let Airman Trump Near a Nuclear Weapon?

I expect a flood of articles and TV commenters on how unreliable that test is...

rehajm said...

Bruni strikes me as firmly in the soiled camp.

Unknown said...

From Wiki:

"Night soil is a euphemism for human feces collected from cesspools, privies, pail closets, pit latrines, etc. It was removed from the immediate area, usually at night, by workers employed in this trade. Sometimes it could be transported out of towns and sold on as a fertilizer.

Another definition is "untreated excreta transported without water (e.g. via containers or buckets)".[1] The term "night soil" is largely an archaic word, used in historical contexts. The modern term is "fecal sludge"; fecal sludge management is an ongoing challenge, particularly in developing countries.[2]"

Night soil is still used in Mexico, among other countries, in their agriculture (that is then exported, often to US).

Does this make them a shithole?

Or are we modern and the term for these countries is fecal sludge holes?

--jj

exhelodrvr1 said...

That sounds like something Curly would say. "Moe, Larry, the cheese!! I've been soiled!"

Vet66 said...

Graham is better described as a "fluffer" in the porn vernacular. A fine job for those qualified and Graham qualifies.

Bob Boyd said...

Opposition to Trump has devolved into a mass poo-flinging tantrum.

rhhardin said...

Big fucking deal is epithet. Shithole country is metaphor.

rhhardin said...

Shit is a backformation from the NYT original, shittification.

robother said...

"I was so shocked by what Trump said, I've soiled myself!"

exhelodrvr1 said...

"I was so shocked by what Trump said, I've soiled myself!"

Bravely rode Sir Corey,
Rode forth from Camelot
He was not afraid to seethe
Oh brave Sir Corey

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The hack press - keeping everything fresh and clean for the corruptocrats.

Soiled by the dirty Clintons? Let the DNC press wash it away.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Lindsey G should learn not to let the DNC press manipulate him. He sure is a weak in that regard. Much like his pal John McCain.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Lindsay Graham will put you in hell.

Is that how it works.

CStanley said...

No one says "He soiled me!"

Says a person whose children were grown before the debut of Spongebob Squarepants. (Ok he says "Soiled it!" Not Soiled me" but close enough.)

Breezy said...

Do these columnists honestly believe these columns will move people to their side?
Why do these people get paid for this emotional crap?

exhelodrvr1 said...

"Tears of Rage" would be a great name for a heavy-metal band.

robother said...

"Soilent Green is...even worse than we thought!"

Balfegor said...

Re: Althouse:

At least pick a euphemism that sounds like something that might come out of a flesh-and-blood person. No one says "He soiled me!"

I knew I'd heard something like that before . . . and a quick Google Books search leads me to Oscar Wilde:

"Don't come near me. Don't touch me. I feel as if you had soiled me for ever. Oh! What a mask you have been wearing all these years!" (from An Ideal Husband)

To be honest, that does sound like something Lindsey Graham might say. Or at least, the imaginary version of Lindsey Graham in my head.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Hey, it’s the Age of Bullshit and the NYT has to roll with the times, All the News That’s Shit to Print.

I suspect that, if we did the newroom colonoscopy on this one, is that “Either way, he’s shit on.” got rejected for the more pendatic reason that the sentence ends with a preposition. Then the headline writer didn’t want to be more scatalogical than the article. But it’s more to shit on the NYT.

The sun comes up in the morning. The NYT is still the same liberal newspaper it has always been, and will be tomorrow, and the day after.

Chris N said...

A better fate than defenestration...

Wince said...

Donald Trump Will Soil You. Ask Lindsey Graham.

"One unused prophylactic... One soiled."

Ann Althouse said...

" (Ok he says "Soiled it!" Not Soiled me" but close enough.)"

No, it's not close enough. We're familiar with "He soiled his pants." But not "He soiled [a person]."

We also say "He shit his pants," but not "He shit a person" (which might be a power possessed by a strange mythical beast).

It's always "He shit ON a person."

So fuck that Spongebob reference.

n.n said...

A shithole, indicating misfortune and trouble, describes a preexisting condition. A shitshow alludes to a progressive anthropogeonic environment. Somalia is a shithole. Libya is a shitshow.

NYT has soiled itself hoping to project culpability or to plead ignorance under JournoListic license.

tcrosse said...

The scatological metaphors may be current, but they're not as apt as sexual ones. How much better to say "Donald Trump will Fuck You up the Ass." There are enough euphemisms for anal rape so as not to offend the Gentle Reader.

Birkel said...

Wait a second, I have it on good authority that Trump is highly influenced by whichever person speaks to him last. Trump has no core and no guiding conservative principles. He's easily swayed by flattery. Trump is a narcissist who loves nothing better than having his ego stroked.

Yet this article by Frank Bruni says all of those things are false, based on Trump's behavior.

I must assume Frank Bruni is a pod person because I know the MSM, LLRs and the NYT would not lie to me about Trump's deplorability.

Bob Boyd said...

"The scatological metaphors may be current, but they're not as apt as sexual ones."

Fuck that shit!

CStanley said...

Sorry, I didn’t mean to soul the thread.

Bilwick said...

I was looking again at that funny Mao of the world wherein Bruce Nader re-labels countries some might consider "shithole" countries in a way hopefully less offensive to delicate "liberal" sensibilities. It struck me how many (if not all of them) are socialistic or communistic or some other variety of statist. If you want to know why American "liberals" rush in to counter Trump's alleged defamation of such Utopias (few if any of which they would actually move to), I think I found the reason.

Bilwick said...

I meant "map," not "Mao." This damn auto "correct" is almost as annoying as that "someone else may be editing this" message the Althouse blog is plagued with.

Bilwick said...

And it's "Bruce Bawer," not "Bruce Nader."

veni vidi vici said...

Lindsey Graham is only upset that he couldn't coax Trump into taking an enema before LG tried to bone him in the ass with the Graham-Durban "bipartisan" amnesty bill the other day, so he's literally talking about coming away "soiled", as it were.

As it goes down, though, Trump will likely continue using a speculum to prop Graham & Co's mouths open so he may continue taking doughy dumps down their throats.

Such are the wages of Grahamnesty.

veni vidi vici said...

-- No one says "He soiled me!" --

Dude, have you ever heard Lindsey Graham speak? He's exactly the type of Charmin-squeezing, tweezly doofus-pouf who would say such a thing!

Sam L. said...

Forget it, Jake; it's the NYT and Frankie-town.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I once saw a sign at a nursery over in rural Humboldt County that made me laugh and fits right in here.

"Our dirt is so good

You'll soil your plants"


If I wasn't just traveling through I would have stopped and bought some potting soil to reward the creativity.