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Ascent of the A-Word: Assholism, the First Sixty Years

Book by Geoffrey Nunberg · 6 quotes · Archetype, Assholes, Authenticity

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Ascent of the A-Word: Assholism, the First Sixty Years Quotes

“The English language is shot through with idioms and expressions which allude to violence without inciting it, most of which pass without notice unless they're called to your attention. One of the most disingenuous moves in the incivility wars is to treat these expressions with a specious literalism; politics makes Freudians of us all. (205)”

“It's not odd these days to hear politicians trumpeting their own authenticity, a claim that an earlier day would have considered self-cancelling. But when Michelle Bachman, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum say "I'm authentic," they're not evoking the shade of Neal Cassady. (102)”