Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 09:20:50 -0500 From: "Barry A. Popik" Subject: WOTY PARODY!!: Forbidden Words 1997 From the Village Voice (and other weeklies), 14 January 1997, page 114, "Life in Hell" cartoon by Matt Groenig. The 25-panel cartoon shows characters mouthing the following: FORBIDDEN WORD 1997 Arch Deluxe Awesome Been there, done that Booty call Cyber-anything Don't go there Edgy Empowerment Family values Anything -gate Just don't do it No-brainer Paradigm shift Phat Proactive Rock the vote The rules Soccer mom Tickle-Me-Elmo User-friendly V-chip And the winners are... Won't you help us build the bridge to the 21st century? And... Well, _duh_. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------- EBONICS This week's Village Voice has a cover story on "Ebonics: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know but Were Afraid To Ax." (Shouldn't that be "Everything you ever wanted to know but WAS afraid to AKS"?) It might be available on http://villagevoice.com. Salikoko Mufwene and William Labov are quoted. The Ebonics controversy is getting every hack to bring out jokes that should have died with AMOS 'N' ANDY. The Village Voice is supposed to be politically correct, but check out "Ebonics for Travelers" by James Hannaham on page 37, col. 4: THIRD LESSON (THIR LESSIN) In the Inner City _In d' 'Hood_ We're hungry. _Yo, where d' White Castle at?_ We're homeless. _Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, my name is John Brown. I'm sorry to bother you, but I happen to be homeless and I happen to be hungry. Anything you can spare would be appreciated. I will now sing a loud, off-key version of an old standard from the '30s._ Where are you taking that package? _You gon' give me a cut, or am I goin' haveta call d' narcs on yo' ass?_ Excuse me, madam, I've mistaken you for a lady of the night. I'm very embarrassed. _I gots twenny bux. Dat goo' 'nuff?_ Again, this is the Village Voice! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------- "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" Show me more citations! I used Excite, and "Show me the money" turned up 2,907,783 items. Methinks that's either a lot of money or Excite gets too excited. The New York Times online had two important items, both from 5 January 1997: On College Football by Malcolm Moran (...) The lucrative side shows are everywhere. A man on the floor of the Louisiana Superdome was about to attempt to throw a football through a hole for a million dollars in a halftime promotion. As fans dashed for restrooms after a two-hour first half, the announcer was yelling in an attempt to create some excitement, encouraging the crowd to shout: "Show me the money....show me the money...." Show me? The money was everywhere.... Making the Shift from "Boyz" to Man by Steve Oney (...) And "Show me the money," a line he (Cuba Gooding, Jr.--ed.) delivers during a rousing verbal duel with the title character, a sports agent played by Tom Cruise, may well become a catch phrase.