Re: documentary on salinger?

Ahhh, what I sparked by one simple statement, which really just expressed
how cheap I am.

>From: Jim Rovira <jrovira@drew.edu>
>Reply-To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
>Subject: Re: documentary on salinger?
>Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 11:22:03 -0500
>
>That's the point -- you don't value a rat's ass, and you wouldn't even give
>that. The value of a rat's ass in this case isn't a matter of compulsion.
>It's
>assumed that it has no value, and as a result, your unwillingness to even
>give
>that ("I wouldn't give a rat's ass") says a great deal about what you'd
>theoretically be exchanging it for.
>
>In this case, though (and following this reasoning), saying, "I could give
>a
>rat's ass" could be equally damning to the subject. Assuming a rat's ass
>has no
>value (or even negative value somehow -- it disgusts you), you assert that
>you
>could exchange said rat's ass for the subject at hand. That's like telling
>someone you'd be more than happy to give them $25 for their new car. It's
>not
>even worth the parts.
>
>Seems like I've heard the negative expression of this phrase more than the
>positive, but that was just in use by construction workers around Central
>Fl.
>And I did occasionally hear the positive expression.
>
>Dang, I should have asked at the time ;).
>
>Jim
>
>Yocum Daniel GS 21 CES/CEOE wrote:
>
> > If I wouldn't give a rat's ass then what compels me or anyone to value a
> > rat's ass. So, I guess I give a rat's ass since maybe that's what its
>worth
> > or cost of having.
> >
> > Daniel
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jim Rovira [mailto:jrovira@drew.edu]
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 9:10 AM
> > To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
> > Subject: Re: documentary on salinger?
> >
> > Well, not necessarily. Saying "I could give a rat's butt" simply means
>that
> > you are, indeed, in possession of a rat's butt and could give it
>(presumably
> > in exchange for an answer about this question).
> >
> > Now, if you were to say, "I couldn't give a rat's butt" ("rat's ass" is
>the
> > real phrase -- and it has a lot more going for it tonally, with that
>draw
> > out
> > ssss sound), I think you'd be really devaluing the topic at hand. I'm
>not
> > quite sure how this works out, though. I suspect that you'd be saying
>your
> > valuation of this topic is about equivalent to your valuation of a rat's
> > butt
> > -- both equally low. But I don't know how the grammar of the sentence
> > actually produces this meaning.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > Yocum Daniel GS 21 CES/CEOE wrote:
> >
> > > I could give a rat's butt. Does this mean that rat's butts are
>valuable?
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Jim Rovira [mailto:jrovira@drew.edu]
> > > Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 8:13 PM
> > > To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
> > > Subject: Re: documentary on salinger?
> > >
> > > I've always wondered if that phrase really worked:
> > >
> > > "I could care less."
> > >
> > > I know that's how people use it. But it just doesn't make sense to
>me.
> > > It sounds like it is, indeed, possible for you to care less, meaning
> > > that you still do care a little bit, if only a very little bit. It's
> > > like saying, I could hate it more. It means you don't hate something
>as
> > > much as you possibly could.
> > >
> > > Now, if you were to say, I couldn't care less -- now that would be
> > > saying something. It's simply not possible to care less in this case.
> > > It would mean that you care for this as little as it is possible to
>care
> > > for it. You care for it to the point of not caring at all -- utterly.
> > >
> > > Now this is a more sensible expression of contempt.
> > >
> > > The real question now is, could you or could you not care less? :)
> > >
> > > Jim
> > >
> > > -
> > > * Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
> > > * UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH
> >
> > -
> > * Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
> > * UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH
> > -
> > * Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
> > * UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH
>
>-
>* Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
>* UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH

_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus

-
* Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
* UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH
Received on Tue Nov 12 15:21:43 2002