I’m officially asking for a moratorium on the number of writers thinking they’re clever by playing with Charlie Crist’s name off Jesus Christ.
Let me make this clear. It’s not because it’s offensive. It’s just really really bad writing.
When I was in the second grade our school principal went in the hospital for something or other and we all had to write him a card so I wrote one where I highlighted the word “pal” in the word “principal” as if we were great old friends even though he couldn’t have picked me out of a lineup. I remember thinking it was stupid even then but I was under the gun. We had like ten minutes to write it and it was almost snack time. I did feel a lot better when three other kids came up with the same lame play on words that I did.
But journalists don’t have snack time but they’re still coming up with this lame play on words with Crist’s name in Florda. Come on people, Crist has nothing to do with Christ. It’s just a stupid play on words that has nothing to do with anything.
MSNBC’s headline for Crist’s announcement was “Crist-mas Day.” The rest of the story has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, a birth, or even a manger. It’s just a dumb headline.
National Review’s headline for a piece in The Corner was “Last Temptation of Crist.” The writer tries at least a little to bring up the fact that Crist is tempted by power but the headline is the headline just because the names are similar.
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post wrote in his story on Crist: “The crucifixion of Crist by Republican leaders says less about him than it does about the party.” I’m a little unsure how Republican leaders are crucifying Crist. He’s up for popular vote.
But at least this one is a little popular in the the UK’s Independent headline read “How the Tea Party movement crucified Charlie Crist.”
Look, if Crist was named Jones we’d be spared all the silliness. So let’s all put a moratorium on this silliness. Go have a snack.
April 30, 2010 at 3:49 am
In high school, the varsity football coach was named Crist. I don't know how many times I heard my classmates (only the losers, of course) call him "Jesus Crist." I thought it was lame way back then.
April 30, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Journalists often use lame wordplays like this, and it annoys me too. I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, who are sometimes called the "Cards" for short. And no matter how many times they have done it before, some sportswriters just can't resist recycling the same bad puns on the word "cards" in their headlines, year after year. For example, if the Cardinals make a trade or otherwise make some roster change, the headline will read "Cards Shuffle Deck." Or you might see a headline like, "GM Says Contract Extension Not in the Cards." You get the idea. 🙂
April 30, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I don't know, Matthew. That one from the National Review was pretty clever. And as I recall, Dawn Eden did that with the headlines on her blog all the time, and most of them were clever as well. I don't think it hurt her book-signing tours, do you?
April 30, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I also think people should stop taking Crist's name in vain.
April 30, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Actually, if he RUNS it would be in vain.
April 30, 2010 at 5:35 pm
He's not the first politician to turn water into whine.
April 30, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Actually, I think William's is pretty clever…maybe it's just the obvious ones that we need to put a moratorium on. Make 'em really work for it, before they get their snack!
May 3, 2010 at 10:27 pm
It's just plain disrespectful.