Peter Kobs's definitions
1. A new name for the American middle class as people try to survive the current economic crisis by "muddling through" with less money and less security.
2. The growing spirit of economic fatalism in mainstream America.
2. The growing spirit of economic fatalism in mainstream America.
by Peter Kobs April 1, 2009
Get the Muddle Classmug. A perjorative term for "Evangelical" or someone who speaks with Evangelical fervor, especially a member of the Evangelical Christian right in the United States. This relatively new slang term is sometimes used by non-Evangelical Christians, as well as non-believers, to denote a shallow or knee-jerk kind of religious thinking that promotes an "us vs. them" worldwiew.
"Gellie" or "Gelly" is derived from the third syllable of EvanGELical. The word can have both playful and offensive connotations. It is related to the word "Fundie" for fundamentalist.
"Gellie" or "Gelly" is derived from the third syllable of EvanGELical. The word can have both playful and offensive connotations. It is related to the word "Fundie" for fundamentalist.
by Peter Kobs June 20, 2008
Get the Gelliemug. 1. Television that encourages viewers to hate, despise and fear "the enemy." George Orwell predicted the rise of Hate TV in his novel "1984." Usually found on the cable channels, Hate TV is the fastest-growing type of pseudo-news. Key characteristics include:
- Scapegoating (blaming a small group for the problems of all)
- Fear-mongering (raising the specter of impending tyranny)
- Simplistic thinking (condensing complex issues into a few hate-filled slogans)
- Truthiness (presenting rumors as established fact)
- Repetition (to give lies the ring of truth)
- Stereotyping (along racial, ethnic or religious lines)
- Assault Interviewing (attacking guests who disagree with the party line)
- Pandering (filling a studio with partisan crowds who will cheer or boo on cue)
- Thematic Aggregation ("packaging" a variety of fears, prejudices and hot-button issues under a common theme)
- Code Words (using substitutes for common racial slurs, insults, etc.)
- Multi-Media Marketing (combining TV with publishing, radio, websites, etc. to reinforce the core message)
- Narrowing (redefining the boundaries of "acceptable belief" to ostracize moderates)
- Movement Hype (promoting a specific group of people as the only "true" Americans)
- Event Manipulation (exaggerating the size, impact or diversity of a protest or political rally)
Hate TV inevitably leads to greater political polarization, up to and including acts of violence against the perceived "enemy."
- Scapegoating (blaming a small group for the problems of all)
- Fear-mongering (raising the specter of impending tyranny)
- Simplistic thinking (condensing complex issues into a few hate-filled slogans)
- Truthiness (presenting rumors as established fact)
- Repetition (to give lies the ring of truth)
- Stereotyping (along racial, ethnic or religious lines)
- Assault Interviewing (attacking guests who disagree with the party line)
- Pandering (filling a studio with partisan crowds who will cheer or boo on cue)
- Thematic Aggregation ("packaging" a variety of fears, prejudices and hot-button issues under a common theme)
- Code Words (using substitutes for common racial slurs, insults, etc.)
- Multi-Media Marketing (combining TV with publishing, radio, websites, etc. to reinforce the core message)
- Narrowing (redefining the boundaries of "acceptable belief" to ostracize moderates)
- Movement Hype (promoting a specific group of people as the only "true" Americans)
- Event Manipulation (exaggerating the size, impact or diversity of a protest or political rally)
Hate TV inevitably leads to greater political polarization, up to and including acts of violence against the perceived "enemy."
"Did you hear about that guy who crashed is plane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas?"
"Yeah, he killed two people, including a father who served in Vietnam."
"Well, Hate TV is saying he was a patriot and should be congratulated for standing up to the government."
"Scary stuff...What's next -- public lynchings in prime time?"
"Yeah, he killed two people, including a father who served in Vietnam."
"Well, Hate TV is saying he was a patriot and should be congratulated for standing up to the government."
"Scary stuff...What's next -- public lynchings in prime time?"
by Peter Kobs April 9, 2010
Get the Hate TVmug. 1. A secret storage place for illegal nuclear weapons or nuke technology.
2. A nuclear weapons development facility that is purposely kept hidden from IAEA inspectors.
2. Iran's secret nuke plant beneath the "holy" city of Qum, which was disclosed by U.S. President Obama at the United Nations in September 2009.
2. A nuclear weapons development facility that is purposely kept hidden from IAEA inspectors.
2. Iran's secret nuke plant beneath the "holy" city of Qum, which was disclosed by U.S. President Obama at the United Nations in September 2009.
Using satellite imagery and espionage, we located Iran's secret Nuke Crib in a set of tunnels near Qum. They put the facility there to make it harder to bomb because of possible collateral damage to the ancient Qum mosques.
by Peter Kobs September 28, 2009
Get the Nuke Cribmug. 1. The agonizing mental process of accepting that football season is finally over.
This serious mental disorder afflicts millions of Americans every year, usually in the second week of February. Effective therapy is not available until the following August, at the earliest.
2. A crisis in the national spirit that is mitigated (only slightly) by the arrival of March Madness -- the NCAA basketball tournament.
3. The realization that life as we know it has ended, at least for six torturously long months.
4. Proof that Arena Football will never take the place of the real thing.
This serious mental disorder afflicts millions of Americans every year, usually in the second week of February. Effective therapy is not available until the following August, at the earliest.
2. A crisis in the national spirit that is mitigated (only slightly) by the arrival of March Madness -- the NCAA basketball tournament.
3. The realization that life as we know it has ended, at least for six torturously long months.
4. Proof that Arena Football will never take the place of the real thing.
Hank was hospitalized on February 12 with severe anxiety and chest pain. Following a series of CAT scans at the Mayo Clinic, he was diagnozed with Football Withdrawal Syndrome (FWS). May God have mercy on his soul.
by Peter Kobs January 1, 2010
Get the Football Withdrawal Syndromemug. 1. A technically bankrupt company that is kept alive with large infusions of government money for the sake of "stability" in the U.S. financial system. 2. A large financial company with negative net worth that continues to operate, despite having no clear path to solvency. 3. The UnDead of Wall Street.
"AIG is the premier example of a zombie company -- kept alive only by $120 billion in federal bailout money. Apparently, it's considered too large to fail."
by Peter Kobs March 9, 2009
Get the Zombie Companymug. A child raised on television and video games with little or no parental supervision. Vid kids often have poor social skills, very limited attention spans and less maturity than their peers. Vid kids suffer from a mild form of child abuse rooted in parental neglect.
by Peter Kobs January 5, 2009
Get the Vid Kidmug.