But really, what is "fit" anyway?
With Gawker trying to suss out the obscene story Pinch Sulzberger won't share with his own "family newspaper" today, I remembered another Times elision from a few days ago.
In the front page article on the out of Army's control Task Force 6-26 and Camp Nama, the Times reports that "the Nama in the camp's name stood for a coarse phrase that soldiers used to describe the compound." Once again, the ludicrous contradictions of American prudishness is exposed. In an article that describes cells "that reeked of urine and excrement," human beings used as paintball targets, soldiers who "beat prisoners with rifle butts, yelled and spit in their faces," and much more, the Times draws the line at using a naughty word — because that that might upset the chillens.
Not to mention that censorship only piques our curiosity more and overheats our imagination. What is the coarse phrase that gave camp Nama its name? No assholes may argue? Now accessing more anuses? Not another motherfucking abuse-scandal?
Nope. According to Sullivan, it's simply Nasty-ass military area. Somebody send the Times to camp BFD.
Of course, Sully could be wrong. If you have a better guess, I'd like to hear it.
Comments
It's probably something pathetic like "New Asinine Military Acroynm." Though even The Times isn't that prudish. Iit looks like they're even okay with using ass as a noun on occasion, but not as an adjective.
I recall from a First Amendment class 10 years ago that radio stations at the time could play Rage Against the Machine's Killing in the Name ("Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me") late at night because it was merely profanity, but never Nine Inch Nails' Closer ("I want to fuck you like an animal"), because that was also obscene. Looks like the Times' standard is the reverse of that.
I wish they would just give in and start writing something like f--- if they're unwilling to print the actual word. It's sad to see grown men write phrases like "coarse phrase" or "barnyard epithet."
Posted by: Jesse | March 21, 2006 12:13 PM
Why exactly is fucking like an animal legal, but singing about fucking like an animal on the radio illegal?
Posted by: Francis | March 21, 2006 6:00 PM
No idea. But if we'd learned that, the class would have been a lot more fun.
Posted by: Jesse | March 21, 2006 10:35 PM