At Tim Blair's blog, some are speculating about why Barack Obama might have mispronounced "Wasilla" as "Wassily."
Most of us would make more slips of the tongue than the candidates do. And it’s only natural that he would use a name he’s probably more familiar with (Wassily) than one he’s less familiar with (Wasilla). I had to struggle not to make the same substitution.
Before last week, I had never heard of Wasilla, but I had heard of Wassily. Indeed, we have two Wassily chairs based on a 1925 design by Marcel Breuer in our Hyde Park apartment, bought 30-35 years ago. These chairs are famous enough to have their own Wikipedia entry. Probably at least one of Obama's friends has such a chair.
Wassily Chair, Marcel Breuer
As you might expect, these chairs are named after an artist even more famous than the chairs, Wassily Kandinski.
On White II, Wassily Kandinski
So I think that Barack Obama, who lives about 10 blocks away from me and knows some of the people I know, probably was thinking of a more familiar word — Wassily — the name of a Bauhaus chair and a Russian painter, not that of a small town in Alaska. I know that when I first read “Wasilla,” I had to think carefully to avoid thinking “Wassily.”
I wonder if Sarah Palin even knows of the Breuer chairs or the Russian painter.
[And if she doesn't, I wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing.]
How well does anyone ever really KNOW a chair?
If a post tries to make a wry observation, some people tend to be mad that it got posted at all and others are mad it doesn't end with a crude statement urging readers to favor one candidate or another.
This post was motivated by reading a discussion among people on Tim Blair's blog trying to figure out why Obama mispronounced the town as "Wassily." I think I know the answer to that question.
I was also suggesting that in educational class, Obama is probably more like me than like Palin -- I certainly didn't say that was a good thing. Nor did I say that if someone were ignorant of Wassily that would be a good thing. It's certainly not anything that I think a President or VP SHOULD know.
I'm not at all certain, however, that Palin doesn't know either of the Wassily references. After all, if your town is named Wasilla, I would think you might notice similar names more than others would.
Jim Lindgren
Or he interpolated that the town would be derived from a Russian given name, due to the history of Russian colonization on the West Coast. And he'd be almost right! From Wikipedia:
I think that you mean to say that your social class is closer to Obama's than to Palin's. Unless, of course, your (and Obama's) fields of academic study include 20th century / abstract painting and industrial design.
Boy, I can't understand where that 'elitist' meme is coming from!
(1) **Speculate** that Obama has your taste in furniture; then
(2) ** Speculate** that Palin has never even heard of the furniture that you and Obama are so fond of;
Then conclude:
"I was also suggesting that in educational class, Obama is probably more like me than like Palin"
You are on a one man mission to put the "silly" back in Wasilly.
Mission accomplished.
Unless there are "famous" chairs named Sunshine, I'm going with my theory.
All of that said, I see no reason to think that your theory has more validity than others that have mentioned. A clever, "accidental" slip of the tongue seems more likely, IMO, but that's just my bias showing.
Occam's razor says Obama consciously or unconsciously ridiculed Wasilla.
I'm left to marvel at "Former Hyde Park resident's" use of "Occam's razor" and the unconscious in the same sentence. Referring to the hypothetical inner conflicts between Obama's hypothetical Id and his hypothetical Superego is anything but parsimonious, particularly since both are prescientific myths in the first place.
A bit pretentious today are we today? Fortunately for you and Obama we can't all be part of your "educational class", otherwise who would there be for you Hyde Park folks to feel better than.
That's for sure!
What a rube!
She probably doesn't know a Bauhaus from an outhouse!
And that says all you need to know about her weltanschauung.
Of course Obama said Wa-silly deliberately. But that's OK, it shows who he's scared of. And the ongoing discussion of Palin vs Obama -- the VP candidate vs the Presidential candidate -- raises Palin's status and erodes Obama's.
Keep it up, 0! It only diminishes your 'community organizer' experience.
I just love the ongoing, continuous discussion of Palin vs Obama.
I was just intrigued because I would have just assumed that The One did what everyone does: get a false pronunciation in his head and be unable to shake it. See all Bush's "nuclear" and almost everyone's "Hors dourves" before they get a public correction.
What was kind of interesting to me is that The One must be so perfect that this mis-pronunciation is not human, but a coded reference to a brilliant painter and an obscure chair. Thus proving that, like Descartes, he can sit and contemplate the universe, like Einstein unifying the universe with a pencil scrap and an envelope.
-AC
PS - My parents had a chair very similar to that, bought at a garage sale in the early sixties. I'm thinking we did something very stupid when we threw that away.
It must be great to be able to blame your vast knowledge when making a mistake, instead of your vast ignorance like the rest of us.
Isn't that the same way we were are supposed to understand Obama better too? We have to fall in love before we can get him...
You ask "I wonder if Sarah Palin even knows of the Breuer chairs or the Russian painter.". I'd say that's more likely than Obama possessing the ability to, say, field dress a moose.
I guess Mencken was right - I live in the Sahara of the Bozarts. Or not.
I wonder if Barack Obama knows the difference between a battle rifle and an assault rifle.
I find the former more likely. Sarah Palin did go to college, so she probably picked up some useless information there.
2. Most commenters take this as a post critical of Palin. That was certainly not my intent and I'm surprised that people read it that way.
3. Paoli wrote:
I agree.
Here we come a wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a wandering
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year.
And God send you a happy New Year.
The slip of the tongue you're trying to draw is ridicusilly.
I've never gotten a good look at her Weltanschauung, because she's usually beind the podium. But I bet it is SPECTACULAR.
Most GOPers don't agree with me, but I alays thought that Pelosi, when younger, has one hell of a nice Vergangenheitbewa:ltigung.
Re: The chairs--As I recall, they are very supportive, but not enough "give". Better for an office than for a family room.
But, in response to the reasonable question: "I wonder if Barack Obama knows the difference between a battle rifle and an assault rifle." I'm sure O-bummer would be happy to 'splain to benighted people who ask such a wah-silly question: "there is no difference. Both are dangerous assault weapons that will be banned by my administration."
And on that note, I think I'll enjoy the beautiful afternoon by being dangerous and taking my Garand and my AR-15 (as close as I can come to a true select-fire assault rifle without an NFA permit) to the range.
Nick
I can't believe anyone would be impressed by someone who (sub)consciously imagined either. Trivia, which is what enters my mind when I acknowledge my ignorance of obscure chairs and artists, is fine, but how is this knowledge going to help my or Michelle Obama's kids?
Common sense, or a commoners sense, would defer to the wisdom of Occam (as stated by Former Hyde Park resident for McCain/Palin).
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1843.htm
Nelson Rockefeller.
If NY's budget in the early '70s is an indicator of what Kandinsky fans do in offcie, then I think Obama ought to run far and fast from that one; Declare his appreciation of the subtleties of Norman Rockwell, or something.
Can you tell us why you would even suggest it's important to know about Breuer chairs?
And you say Wasily
I say guerilla
And you say guerily
Wasilla, Wasily
Guerilla, guerily
Let's call the whole thing off!
here
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