Obamanation

angelica
angelica Posts: 6,038
edited November 2008 in A Moving Train
okay...so my friend used this term in a positive sense yesterday on facebook, referring to Obama's win.

How do people feel about this 'word'?
Is it a witty play on words?
Does it fit?
Does it have a disturbing not-so-hidden meaning?
What's the consensus?
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

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  • dpmay
    dpmay Posts: 643
    well gee, when i first read that, it sure sounded like a slam on obama to me...
  • NiteLite10
    NiteLite10 Posts: 144
    angelica wrote:
    okay...so my friend used this term in a positive sense yesterday on facebook, referring to Obama's win.

    How do people feel about this 'word'?
    Is it a witty play on words?
    Does it fit?
    Does it have a disturbing not-so-hidden meaning?
    What's the consensus?

    I think the word is disturbingly similar to abomination... (especially spoken out loud) which is definitely bad.
  • wolfbear
    wolfbear Posts: 3,965
    Yep, at first glance, seemed not good. Then I saw a positive. It can obviously be taken either way, which I'd generally say isn't a good recommendation. :)
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  • dcfaithful
    dcfaithful Posts: 13,076
    If used in a non-inviting way, this is how I view it: It's just an outlet for conservatives, racists, ignoramis's who are upset at this for one reason or another...

    I was in disbelief when someone told me that they overheard someone saying W is a visionary...I almost lost it laughign, but then my anger settled in. All I could think of was him being a visionary to create, and continue a paradigm of failure.
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  • Mrs.Vedder78
    Mrs.Vedder78 Posts: 4,585
    angelica wrote:
    okay...so my friend used this term in a positive sense yesterday on facebook, referring to Obama's win.

    How do people feel about this 'word'?
    Is it a witty play on words?
    Does it fit?
    Does it have a disturbing not-so-hidden meaning?
    What's the consensus?

    IMO
    I think it depends on the person.
    I see that word and I think of his accomplishment with this campaign, and huge drive it had for voting, volunteering and excitement.
    Does it fit? I think so, based on the reasoning I explained above.

    I guess for someone who doesnt like Obama it could sound scary? negative? I dont know itd be interesting to see what the guys that dont like him so much around here have to say.
    "Without the album covers, where do you clean your pot?" - EV
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    wolfbear wrote:
    Yep, at first glance, seemed not good. Then I saw a positive. It can obviously be taken either way, which I'd generally say isn't a good recommendation. :)
    That's sort of what I saw initially. The word abomination has some very serious negative meanings! (anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred. intense aversion or loathing; detestation. a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.: Spitting in public is an abomination ...)

    And at the same time, I see on the other hand, it's got a really potent, productive message of unity! To me it's a little brilliant, on it's own, because it has a perfect balance, sort of like the yin-yang symbol.

    Granted, all that flies out the window if it's used with a negative intent.....
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    dcfaithful wrote:
    I was in disbelief when someone told me that they overheard someone saying W is a visionary...I almost lost it laughign, but then my anger settled in. All I could think of was him being a visionary to create, and continue a paradigm of failure.
    I see your point...
    If he had an ounce of vision, imo, he'd have been literally unable to do what he has...
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • QuestionAuthority
    QuestionAuthority Idaho Posts: 327
    I have only heard it used negatively.. pronounced like abomination, which in defination is anything greatly disliked or abhorred.

    I choose not to use the word.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but together we make a mighty fist ~ Sitting Bull
  • TrixieCat
    TrixieCat Posts: 5,756
    angelica wrote:
    okay...so my friend used this term in a positive sense yesterday on facebook, referring to Obama's win.

    How do people feel about this 'word'?
    Is it a witty play on words?
    Does it fit?
    Does it have a disturbing not-so-hidden meaning?
    What's the consensus?
    It is not a witty play on words.
    No, it does not fit.
    If this person were seriously trying to use this is a positive way, don't you think
    Obama-Nation would have been wittier?
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  • Mrs.Vedder78
    Mrs.Vedder78 Posts: 4,585
    wolfbear wrote:
    Yep, at first glance, seemed not good. Then I saw a positive. It can obviously be taken either way, which I'd generally say isn't a good recommendation. :)


    Very interesting to read the responses, when i saw the word I saw it as I read it though i could totally see now how would people see it as not-so-innocent play on words... I guess I wasn't looking for a negative connotation so I never really saw it in a negative way.... so again I think it comes down to who reads it...
    "Without the album covers, where do you clean your pot?" - EV
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    TrixieCat wrote:
    If this person were seriously trying to use this is a positive way, don't you think
    Obama-Nation would have been wittier?
    No, but I can understand someone else thinking so.
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • Mrs.Vedder78
    Mrs.Vedder78 Posts: 4,585
    TrixieCat wrote:
    Obama-Nation

    This is exactly how I read it in my mind when I saw the word, I guess I put the dash myself when I read it without even thinking, which is why I'm assuming never saw the negative to it...
    "Without the album covers, where do you clean your pot?" - EV
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    QuestionAuthority wrote:
    I have only heard it used negatively.. pronounced like abomination, which in defination is anything greatly disliked or abhorred.

    I choose not to use the word.
    I had not heard the term until yesterday, where I saw it written. At first I saw it positively, based on Obama's name + nation. And then I recognized a possible connotation due to it's play on 'abomination'. I can definitely understand if people would not be comfortable using it due to that connotation.
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • MichaelMcKevin
    MichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
    Though you or your friend mean it as positive, the similarity to abomination will always give it a negative context.
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  • AmentsChick
    AmentsChick Posts: 6,969
    Well I was out last night watching/celebrating Obama's win. I was talking to two guys who were African American and they were calling the election a Black Out. I thought that was hilarious! :D
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  • Mrs.Vedder78
    Mrs.Vedder78 Posts: 4,585
    GivenToCarve wrote:
    Though you or your friend mean it as positive, the similarity to abomination will always give it a negative context.


    I dont think it was meant in a positive way by the OP, of course this is just my observation.

    Actually let me retract that because she did mention it was not her who came up with that it was I think a friend that posted it somewhere else, so I can't really attribute this to the OP
    "Without the album covers, where do you clean your pot?" - EV
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    GivenToCarve wrote:
    Though you or your friend mean it as positive, the similarity to abomination will always give it a negative context.
    I wonder if everyone agrees on this point.

    Then, what if someone's intent is different than the outcome. Are they responsible for how people read it, if they did not intend it that way? Would that be considered a miscommunication, then, if the intended communication was not received. And I'm giving this example, hypothetically assuming we know for sure someone using it is not intending a negative intent.
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • Mrs.Vedder78
    Mrs.Vedder78 Posts: 4,585
    angelica wrote:
    I wonder if everyone agrees on this point.

    Then, what if someone's intent is different than the outcome. Are they responsible for how people read it, if they did not intend it that way? Would that be considered a miscommunication, then, if the intended communication was not received. And I'm giving this example, hypothetically assuming we know for sure someone using it is not intending a negative intent.


    I didnt see it as negative until i saw others responses, I just didnt even think about the word abomination when I read that I actually read it in my head as Obama-nation as if it was 2 words... so if we dont know the intent I guess, I think its up to who reads it...
    "Without the album covers, where do you clean your pot?" - EV
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    Mrs_Vedder78 wrote:
    I dont think it was meant in a positive way by the OP, of course this is just my observation.

    Actually let me retract that because she did mention it was not her who came up with that it was I think a friend that posted it somewhere else, so I can't really attribute this to the OP

    My appreciation for this blend of words is because it's kind of holistic...in that it balances good/bad. Again, like the yin-yang symbol, where it balances dark/light...the opposing forces are held in an interplay as is reflected in all of life...there is a beauty, naturalness and poetry to that to me.

    however, like wolfbear says, that would make it a not-as-great choice if I were, say, campaigning for Obama...where I might want to present a more positive position.
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • QuestionAuthority
    QuestionAuthority Idaho Posts: 327
    angelica wrote:
    I had not heard the term until yesterday, where I saw it written. At first I saw it positively, based on Obama's name + nation. And then I recognized a possible connotation due to it's play on 'abomination'. I can definitely understand if people would not be comfortable using it due to that connotation.


    Crowds at McCain/Palin rallies were screaming it out.. it went along with "kill him" and "terrorist". Odd you had not heard it.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but together we make a mighty fist ~ Sitting Bull

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