Crammed Down The Throat: The Mediagasm (VIDEO)

Last week, Josh Fruhlinger of Wonkette wrote:

If you follow American politics and you have a soul, one of your least favorite phrases is some variation of "forced down our throats." This is generally used to imply that some law or regulation has gone into effect as a result of an election in which the winning side received 52 to 56 percent of the vote, as typical in a democratic system (e.g., "This health care reform has been rammed down our throats").

He's so right about this! The whole "cram down our throats" construction has become America's Top Media Cliche, and a pretty gross one at that! How did it come to be so embraced? Well, there are some obvious culprits.

Over at The Awl, Alex Balk wondered, "...what is it with these people who desperately need to characterize everything they don't like as being "jammed" or "rammed down our throats"? What is the implication there?" Well, I'd say that a paucity of wit plays a big role. Also? I don't know if you've noticed this, but lots of people in politics have something of a victimhood fetish. But how, precisely, that love of playing the victim led to a deep and abiding obsession with forcible oral sodomy is a question best left for their therapists.

At any rate, it's obviously time for people to go in search of a new metaphor! But let's celebrate this time in our lives with a Throatdown Mastercut, from our own Ben Craw.

WATCH:

[Video produced by Ben Craw]

[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to [e-mail] -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]

Comments

[Mark Eyre]

04:58 AM on 09/13/2010

I'm thinking that these clips prove that most Right wing pundits could be persuaded to go down if sure that afterward they could claim that it was jammed down their throats.

[CitizenIndie]

02:33 AM on 09/08/2010

Close, that being said...

it doesn't hold a candle to "..That being said" or "Having said that".

That phrase irritates me the most.

[dubbleplusgood]

02:08 AM on 09/09/2010

+

"some people say..." (I'm saying)
"The American People want..." (I want)

[bessielil]

04:40 PM on 09/07/2010

Innocent civilians, ordinary Americans, shock waves rocked this little community, and 'take a listen' when about to roll a tape.

Although after listening to the above montage, I feel a tad like a Strasbourg goose.

[ruffmama]

09:10 PM on 09/06/2010

well they don't call themselves tea-bagger­s for nothing.

[Bartolo27]

05:00 PM on 09/06/2010

I am 'The Tea bagging Throat Jammer' Volunteers welcome.

[r32scoobydo]

01:50 PM on 09/06/2010

My vote is for "in harms way". These troops are not in harms way, they are in a war zone. Both of these are just stupid.

[tobynsaunders]

12:21 PM on 09/06/2010

Conservati­ves use it for the deliberate purpose of conjuring up the image of the president'­s penis. It's no secret that black people have larger penises than white people, for example, & these (mostly white) Conservati­ves are using that racial fear with this rhetoric. It's really obvious.

A racist Christian Conservati­ve I work with likes to use that one 'bend over here comes change' to once again, conjure up the image of rape as it associates with the unfair image of black people as rapists in US Conservati­ve culture.

[Areyoume2]

11:14 AM on 09/06/2010

..........­.the FACT OF THE MATTER is

[harmonikasavingsbonds]

11:10 AM on 09/06/2010

I had long ago concluded this phrase, on their parts, was mere wishful thinking.

[Terri Azie]

11:06 AM on 09/06/2010

At the end of the day, "At the end of the day" is.

[PureRockFury]

03:48 AM on 09/06/2010

I think "Our Founding Fathers" is the most overused expression

[wanderingArtist3211]

09:30 PM on 09/05/2010

I think "The American People" is the most overused expression­.

[olddognewtrick]

07:15 PM on 09/05/2010

Michael Musto seems to use it a little more than others...

[vetxcl]

06:13 PM on 09/05/2010

just a rabid repugnican­t contributi­ng his dialogue on lgbt issues. my guess is that he's in a panic and sleeps with a sock taped over his mouth and two pairs of shorts to prevent forced entry in his nightmares­.

[RayAlanM]

12:23 PM on 09/05/2010

My throat hurts a little after that...Got­ta get a cough drop.