Tar Baby Is Alive and Well on the Internet
The other day Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) included the phrase “tar baby” in a memo to his GOP colleagues.
“Hispanic voters are a swing group in this election and future elections. John McCain, being from a border state, may be out of sync with many Republicans but he has standing among Hispanics. Barrack Obama has not made the sale to Hispanic voters. Thus, this issue is a tar baby for anyone who touches it, with land mines everywhere.”
Political bloggers have eaten this right up. Yesterday, Tim from Baby Got Books directed me to this post over at the political blog The Crypt. The comments are particularly enlightening.
Seriously, if you’re bored at work today, you should at least skim the 210 comments (at press time). The spectrum of opinions about the phrase “tar baby” is incredible and, apparently, infuriating no matter what side you’re on. I particularly like the people who suggest that others “get a history lesson and watch Song of the South.”
Also interesting is that it takes quite some time before either Joel Chandler Harris or syntax enter the discussion. [Tar Baby?]
Previously–
Tar Baby in Classic Saturday Night Live Sketch
Response to the Charlotte Observer’s Tar Baby Editorial
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5 Comments to Tar Baby Is Alive and Well on the Internet
the controversy is so ironic, it’s own tar baby if you will.
I’m surprised how long it took for that thread to be godwinned, but it did happen, and it was a heck of a job too. I think Davis used it appropriately and with only the Brer Rabbit story-based connotations intended, which describe immigration issues very well. Jodi’s right; the term really has managed to become it’s own tar baby.
So I followed the suggestion made several times from those well- over 210 posts and googled Tar Baby. Wow – I like the direct link to the Wren’s Nest on the right there. Have you had a lot of hits today because of it?
Mom, nope nothing out of the ordinary.
Everyone else, what she’s referring to is our ad placements through Google Grants. If you search for things like “tar baby” or “Joel Chandler Harris” or “southern literary trail” or things like that, our ad may just pop up.
And Jodi–exactly!
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