Short take: penguin, information

[Dan Goncharoff]

Two comments:

I think the suits are important. In an environment of artist-types, the
executives wearing suits and ties don't just behave differently, they
look different, and "penguins" is a useful description encompassing
behavior and look.

As for the difference, if any, between Swift and Mamet, isn't Swift
dealing with a book, whereas Mamet is talking about a dramatic TV show
42 minutes long? Different media require different amounts of
information. I would suggest that even Mamet's approach would include
too much information for most poetry.

DanG

On 4/16/2010 12:45 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
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> Poster:       Victor Steinbok<aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Short take: penguin, information
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A friend posted the link to a story of David Mamet's memo to the writers
> of The Unit (TV show that was canceled shortly after the note was
> sent--not implying any connection between the two--just establishing the
> timeline). Aside from general interest (useful notes on script/play
> writing, TV series sausage-making, etc.), there is this line (all-caps
> in original; emphasis in original):
>
> http://bit.ly/cSUiMs
>
>> OUR FRIENDS. THE PENGUINS, THINK THAT WE, THEREFORE, ARE EMPLOYED TO
>> COMMUNICATE *INFORMATION* --- AND, SO, AT TIMES, IT SEEMS TO US.
>>
> There are two things of interest here--penguins and information. Both
> are elaborated on in the body of the memo, so I will take it as read.
> The usage is somewhat different here than in other contexts.
>
> First, the penguin.
>
> OED:
>
>> *1.d.* /humorous/ or /derogatory/. A man wearing black-and-white
>> evening dress, esp. one having a stiff or pompous demeanour. Cf.
>> /penguin suit/ n. (a) at Compounds 2.
>>
> There is at least one additional meaning missing here and that's of a
> "nun" or nun's habit. If you want specific references for that, the most
> obvious one would be early scenes in Blues Brothers. Of course, it is
> far more widespread than that. So it should either be included under
> 1.d. or have a separate sub-entry. I've heard "penguin" refer to any
> Catholic clergy garb (as long as it's black with some white), but I have
> not seen it in print. Nuns are easy, making it broader is not.
>
> However, Mamet clearly is not using this in either the "nun" sense or in
> "man wearing black-and-white evening dress" sense. What's left is a man
> with "a stiff or pompous demeanour". In a recent USA network TV series
> White Collar one of the characters succinctly refers to the main FBI
> agent character as "the suit" (in fact, the writers made it even more
> interesting by referring to his wife as "Mrs. suit"). It seems, Mamet's
> usage of "penguin" here is nearly the same. This is quite explicit.
>
>
>> AND I RESPOND "*FIGURE IT OUT*" ANY DICKHEAD WITH A BLUESUIT CAN BE
>> (AND IS) TAUGHT TO SAY "MAKE IT CLEARER", AND "I WANT TO KNOW MORE
>> *ABOUT* HIM".
>> WHEN YOU'VE MADE IT SO CLEAR THAT EVEN THIS BLUESUITED PENGUIN IS
>> HAPPY, BOTH YOU AND HE OR SHE *WILL* BE OUT OF A JOB.
>>
> Clearly, a "bluesuited penguin" is not a "blacksuited penguin". So, to
> Mamet, the color of the suit does not matter. In fact, I don't believe
> the suit itself matters. It's the particular form of behaviour and the
> hierarchical relationship between the writers and the "penguins" that is
> important--the penguins are the stiff, ignorant people in charge. This
> penguinisity is closely related to "information".
>
>
>> EVERYONE IN CREATION IS SCREAMING AT US TO MAKE THE SHOW CLEAR. WE ARE
>> TASKED WITH, IT SEEMS, CRAMMING A SHITLOAD OF *INFORMATION* INTO A
>> LITTLE BIT OF TIME.
>> OUR FRIENDS. THE PENGUINS, THINK THAT WE, THEREFORE, ARE EMPLOYED TO
>> COMMUNICATE *INFORMATION* --- AND, SO, AT TIMES, IT SEEMS TO US.
>>
> This also hints at what Mamet means by "information".
>    Back to OED:
>
>
>> *II.* The imparting of knowledge in general.
>> *5. a.* Knowledge communicated concerning some particular fact,
>> subject, or event; that of which one is apprised or told;
>> intelligence, news.
>> *1726* SWIFT /Gulliver/ II. III. ii. 18 It was necessary to give the
>> Reader this Information.
>>
> I only included the Swift citation because it seems to be /exactly/ the
> meaning Mamet is trying to communicate to his writers. I believe this
> meaning is substantially different from that in other citations under
> the same subhead:
>
>
>> *1956* A. WILSON /Anglo-Saxon Attitudes/ (1958) I. i. 14, I should be
>> glad of any personal information you may care to provide me with upon
>> this neglected and important young poet.
>> *2003* N. RUSH /Mortals/ xxxv. 658 Ray's old self would have been
>> elated to get any shreds and pieces of information that linked
>> Ichokela with SWAPO in Namibia.
>>
> Information as news, communication or details is not the same as
> information as clarification, which is how both Mamet and Swift use it.
> They are not talking about "clarifying information" (viz. "details"),
> but actually use "information" alone in that sense. I actually don't
> like the OED practice of cutting off sentences--I know these are
> illustrative examples of usage, not meant to contextualize the terms,
> but how can one gather the meaning from a mere sentence fragment?
>
>
>> It was necessary to give the Reader this Information, without which he
>> would be at the same Loss with me to understand the Proceedings of
>> these People, as they conducted me up the Stairs, to the Top of the
>> Island, and from thence to the Royal Palace.
>>
> The only difference is that Swift talks about "information" that is
> necessary and Mamet treats it as unnecessary. Either way, I would be
> interested in knowing if anyone else thinks that the difference is
> significant enough to warrant a separate sub-entry. Same for "penguin",
> although the need there is less for a separate entry as much as for
> expansion to include /any/ suit and nuns.
>
>       VS-)
>
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