Re: documentary on salinger?

heh ;)

Jim

That, and what my wife said was me entertaining myself by intellectual thumb
twiddling...

m e g h a n wrote:

> 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
> > > >
> > > > -
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Received on Tue Nov 12 15:30:08 2002