terms of endearment

[Jonathan Lighter]

Well, see, if he used a racial epithet (with a bonus f-word) minutes before
the shooting, there's a better chance for a hate crime charge to stick, in
addition to any other charges.

Equally to the point,  this "search for answers" involves high-tech,
computerized gizmotronics, images of investigators at consoles, and
audience participation as you the viewer are invited to listen to the
garble over and over, draw your favorite conclusion, and  "solve a mystery!"

Additionally, this "caught on tape!"angle gives pundits the chance to say
or allude to the phrase "expletive coons" again and again, which leads to
more anger and higher ratings.

As of this morning, they're still saying "should have been arrested."

BTW, it's starting to appear that the chief police investigator wanted
Zimmerman charged that evening but was overruled by the state's attorney's
office.

JL

On Thu, Apr 5, 2012 at 1:11 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: terms of endearment
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 8:06 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > CNN reports on new investigations of the tape by two independent voice
> > analysts, including the one who effectively ruled out Z. as uttering the
> > screams on the other tape.
> >
> > His conclusion: if Z. is saying anything at all on the inaudible part of
> > the tape, it's something about "clothes" or "close."
> >
> > The second analyst's conclusion: it might be "coons," but OTOH - you'll
> > love this - there's only a 48% chance that the sound is even a human
> voice!
> > Literally, it could be the wind. Or Z's breathing. Or Z's phone rubbing
> > against his face. Or you name it.
>
> That there are people who consider this triviality to be a topic
> worthy of really serious consideration I find to be beyond
> understanding. IMO, what Zimmerman said is either a garble that could
> be any kind of sound whatsoever or it could be the words, "I beg your
> pardon, young man. May I have a word with you?"
>
> But, whatever Zimmerman may or may not have *said*, what's important
> is what he *did*. Unless the fact that he, by his own admission, shot
> and killed an unarmed adolescent is a fact that's simply too
> uninteresting for the media to concern themselves with.
>
> Youneverknow.
>
> BTW, has anyone else noticed, that given his phenotype, Zimmerman
> could easily have said, "WTF?! Like my Peruvian fellow-countryman, St.
> Martin de Porres of Lima, I'm black, too!"?
>
> I wonder how that scenario would have played out.
>
> --
> -Wilson
> -----
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
> to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> -Mark Twain
>
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>



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