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]
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