The Elephant in the Womb

Snide Remarks #596

"The Elephant in the Womb"

by Eric D. Snider

Published in EricDSnider.com on October 6, 2008

We recently had a blessed event at the Oregon Zoo here in Portland, when an Asian elephant named Rose-Tu gave birth to a healthy baby boy. His name is Samudra, which unfortunately perpetuates the stereotype that young mothers tend to give their children stupid names.

Elephants having babies is a big deal in the zoo world. For one thing, while you lazy human mothers can pop out a baby in nine months, elephants work on it for 22 months. For another thing, breeding elephants in captivity is difficult. Apparently elephants are so big and hideous that even other elephants don't like to have sex with them.

But the Oregon Zoo has been quite proficient at it, with 28 baby pachyderms (including the new one) born there since 1962. It's actually the most successful elephant-breeding program in the world. The only thing that comes close to the Oregon Zoo's knack for getting enormous, baggy-skinned mammals to copulate is when Wal-Mart has a sale on lingerie.

So when Rose-Tu got knocked up a couple years ago, the whole elephant-impregnation-enthusiast community watched with bated breath. Rose was only 12 years old at the time, further evidence of the ineffectiveness of abstinence-only sex education, but the miracle of life is always a blessing. The zoo staff said, "Our beautiful elephant Rose came to us with news that as zookeepers we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. But as she faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support." Then the zookeepers winked and said, "You betcha!"

The baby's father, a 36-year-old elephant named Tusko, has been arrested.

Rose's pregnancy went smoothly. She gained the usual 900 pounds, consuming approximately 300 gallons of ice cream and 30 barrels of pickles a day. Sometimes she'd get really upset over minor things like a zookeeper forgetting to rub her trunk and say "Good girl," but if you dared suggest her emotional state was because of her pregnancy, she'd flip out. Mostly she just stood in the corner and sobbed about how much she loved Tusko.

The happy day finally arrived on Aug. 23, when Rose -- only eight days shy of her own 14th birthday -- delivered a healthy 286-pound calf, and by calf I mean baby elephant, not baby cow. That would be freaky if she'd had a baby cow! Man, I would have liked to see that. But no, it was a baby elephant, as expected. There were some unexpected developments, though, and I want to tell you up front that nobody got hurt, because what I'm about to tell you would otherwise be very sad. As soon as the baby was born, Rose wigged out and started kicking and stomping on the poor li'l fella. Zookeepers had to take him away for his own safety for a couple days before the pair could be reunited.

You see, in the wild, a mother elephant would have witnessed other births before and would know what to expect. But the last elephant born at the Oregon Zoo was Rose herself, so she didn't know what was going on, and she went a little nutty. It makes perfect sense, really. I mean, if no one had ever explained the facts of life to you, and suddenly you were squeezing a 300-pound miniature version of yourself out of one of your most sensitive orifices, you'd probably be alarmed, too. In fact, I heard Jamie Lynn Spears had the exact same reaction when she had her baby.

And now, in case you haven't wept openly today, here is the scene from "Dumbo" where Dumbo visits his mom in jail.

I do loves me some animals, especially cute baby ones, and I wanted to see Rose and baby Sam. But I couldn't go to the zoo alone, obviously: stocky guy in his mid 30s, at the zoo by himself, with no children? Definitely a pedophile. So I gathered some friends to go with me: Luscious Malone, Tanny Tantan, and Quartney (names have been changed). Tanny is the father of two little boys, and his wife was out of town, so taking them to the zoo seemed like a fun thing to do anyway, at least in theory. I believe he has since thought better of this, having now experienced the fun of pursuing two energetic boys as they run in opposite directions in the vicinity of wild animals.

We waited until Sam had been on display for a few weeks before we went, hoping the line of worshippers bringing their gold and frankincense would have died down, but there was still a 30-minute wait on the beautiful Saturday afternoon when we made our pilgrimage. There's only so much room in the viewing area at the elephant habitat, so zoo employees have it set up like a carnival attraction: You wait in line, then a small group of you get to stand at the exhibit for about five minutes, and then you're politely shuffled out of the way for the next group. Otherwise, you'd have people enraptured by the cuteness of baby Sam and his no-longer-infanticidal mother, and they'd stand there all day, preventing other gawkers from gawking.

While you're waiting, the line snakes past the rest of the elephant habitat, so you can see Sam and Rose's friends. One of them was a girl elephant, and while we were there she tinkled, which I've just realized is not a very accurate euphemism when it's an elephant doing it. What she did was gush, like a fountain, and I don't care how old or mature or sophisticated you are, when an elephant pees, it's HILARIOUS. Because you're like, "She's still peeing! Look, it's still going! She must have a bladder the size of a waterbed!"

Quartney and I had a debate about how big an elephant has to be before you can ride on it. I think, at 300 pounds, Sam is big enough. Quartney says it has more to do with the animal's age and growth. Poppycock, I say! If something weighs 300 pounds yet is still so small in size, it must be pretty sturdy. Anyway, there's only one way to find out, and the zoo wouldn't let us try it.

Also: The zoo has lots of vending carts that sell junk food, including "elephant ears." I realize they're not actually made of elephants, but still, kind of creepy, isn't it? "Come see our animals! And while you're waiting, EAT PART OF ONE!!"

At last it was our turn to see baby Sam. In order to minimize the disruption to Sam and Rose's baby-and-mommy time, the zoo staff asked everyone to keep their voices down and not to use flash photography. You don't want people leaning up against the fence shouting, "HEY, BABY ELEPHANT! YOU SO CUTE! HOW YOU DOIN'? COME OVER HERE SO I CAN TOUCH YOU!"

Also, if anyone had any mice with them, they were confiscated.

Rose and Sam were just hangin' out in the yard when we saw them, with Sam scampering around now and then, always following close behind his momma. So adorable! It made me want to go out and buy a baby elephant to keep as a pet, the way thousands of parents right this minute are being nagged into getting their kids chihuahuas. Good thing elephants aren't available at the local pet store! Although if the Oregon Zoo can keep getting those beasts to reproduce, maybe someday they will be. Here's hopin'!

Comments & Reaction:

Double standard: Among humans, teenage pregnancy is a burden, something to be prevented. Among elephants, it's OK, even hilarious. I am sick of the liberal mainstream media overlooking these discrepancies.

Photos are all from the Oregon Zoo's website, which also has brief video clips of Samudra and Rose-Tu.

SnideCast intro & outro: "Baby Elephant Walk," by Bad Manners.

This item has 62 comments

Christina D says:
October 6, 2008 at 5:21 am
Sorry Eric, but I actually didn't find this one very funny (and that was my decision before I saw the Palin reference in there, actually! I promise).

I did notice you have added a stumble button to your posts though, and that's cool. I love stumble. I would stumble this Snide Remarks if I had liked it more... I think this is probably the first one I haven't liked.

Also, must you keep putting Sarah Palin references in everything? Why can't you make fun of Joe Biden too or something? Hmm? I used to think you were impartial in your writing, making fun of one side as much as the other, but lately you seem so against Sarah Palin. And it can't be for lack of stupid things Biden says, because he says a lot of stupid things.

:(
Steven Gardner says:
October 6, 2008 at 5:48 am
I think I saw Rose as a pup. My wife and I went to the zoo in Portland on our honeymoon (just for an afternoon, not for an extended stay) and saw Rose and her mother. I'm glad none of my children have reproduced yet.
WTF? says:
October 6, 2008 at 6:01 am
Yeah, Eric? Why can't you mention Joe Biden's pregnant teenage daughter, too??
Snowsaber says:
October 6, 2008 at 6:14 am
I must be dense, where is the Sarah Palin reference?
Angela says:
October 6, 2008 at 6:37 am
Eric, don't be offended but this is the first time I've laughed out loud at one of your columns in over 5 years. Smiled, perhaps, snickered maybe. But no out-loud laughing. All this IN SPITE of your Sarah Palin reference. Imagine if it had been left out entirely... I weep at the missed opportunity of such perfect humor.
Lane says:
October 6, 2008 at 6:43 am
This one was a bit more tame than some others. It felt like it was written more as a human interest story for a newspaper. Nothin' wrong with that once in a while (except that the human of interest in this one is two elephants.)

As a child, I learned that elephants are afraid of mice. In college, I learned that that is completely false and stupid. But earlier this year on Mythbusters, I learned that elephants ARE in fact afraid of mice. I saw their fear with my own eyes.
Dave says:
October 6, 2008 at 7:20 am
I was all set to write about how disappointed I was in you, Eric--after stirring up debates on politics and religion, you write something so incredibly non-controversial that there was no way it could generate any angry comments. Thank you, Christina D, for proving me wrong...for a moment there I was worried.
Dave the Slave says:
October 6, 2008 at 9:08 am
Eric has once again demonstrated why he is my hero.

The Wal-Mart line: priceless.
The whole pregnancy bit: hilarious.
Tusko's arrest: My laughing woke up my wife..

Thanks again, Eric!
Brian says:
October 6, 2008 at 9:39 am
I'm with Snowsaber; where is the Palin reference? Is it just the jokes implying teenage elephant pregnancy can be as embarrassing as humans'? Nothing there is direct enough to be tied to Sarah Palin so it must be something else. Someone please help out poor ignoramuses like myself that obviously aren't as up on current media figures as we should be.
Tim says:
October 6, 2008 at 10:07 am
That Wal-Mart reference is one of the funniest things I've ever read in Snide Remarks.

If other people don't get the humor in this one, I think they're just bitter because you've been attacking a certain easy target lately.
Speeding Slowly says:
October 6, 2008 at 10:12 am
"Stocky guy in his mid 30s, at the zoo by himself, with no children? Definitely a pedophile."
And a balloon. You must be carrying a single balloon! I'm not sure why, but it's just creepier that way.

I enjoyed this one.
treen says:
October 6, 2008 at 11:17 am
For those who don't get the Palin reference: See 4th paragraph, the one ending in "You betcha!". It's a paraphrase of Sarah Palin's public statement about her daughter's pregnancy.

I thought it was great. I'm all for cracks about political figures all day long, and if Palin has more Snide Remarks-worthy moments than Biden, so be it.
Philistine says:
October 6, 2008 at 11:29 am
For the self-described poor ignoramuses, compare the statement from the zoo staff in the fourth paragraph with Palin's announcement from a few weeks ago:

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned..."

It's not much of a stretch, you see.
Tired says:
October 6, 2008 at 11:37 am
I'm experiencing serious political fatigue. While the Palin reference grated on me, what really got me was people commenting that they loved it. I'm just sick of all politics at this point that making fun of any politician is just overkill. Please let it be November already so we can move on with our lives and I can start enjoying Eric D. Snider articles again. Bleh.
Savvy Veteran says:
October 6, 2008 at 12:04 pm
This somehow being construed as unfunny baffles me severely. This was one of the funnier Snide Remarks in recent memory, and it had me laughing out loud several times. Keep it up Eric! Almost all of us don't care who you make fun of, as long as it is funny.
Bigmonkey says:
October 6, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Who is Sarah Palin? Oh, you mean "Caribou Barbie"! Does she remind anyone else of a sexy librarian?
ireLocus says:
October 6, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I was actually at Wal Mart yesterday... my options were running thin. Anyway, as always, your assessment of the big box store is spot on.

And who cares if a funny man is bi partisan in his fun poking? Let's be fair and admit that Joe Biden really isn't that funny, but man, this hockey mom from gosh-darn-it-all Alaska can't seem to help herself from doing things that make us laugh. Point is, we're all laughing anyway, why not capitalize on that?
Lowdogg says:
October 6, 2008 at 1:15 pm
This make me laugh long time.

And I'll be darned if that Dumbo video didn't get to me. Of course, I teared up watching Pollyanna last night.
Thoughtful Observer says:
October 6, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I find it amusing that people are complaining about topical humor. Jokes about politicians are de rigeur for the election season. It is a way of life. You get to spend most of the rest of the 4 years with fewer references, but you can't really expect a humorist to overlook so simple of a reference. Also, though it was a reference, it wasn't such a glaring "OMG, let's make a joke about Sarah Palin" reference to be painful. If you are offended that he might even refer to someone running for one of the highest offices in the country, you probably should just hide in a cave until Thanksgiving, because there is no way to avoid it. I think this was handled quite adroitly by Mr. Snider.
David says:
October 6, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I'm going to have to disagree with the naysayers here and say that the consistent absurdity in this column made it a favorite of mine. The zingers just never end. By the time we got to the Dumbo clip, I was completely sold on this one.

And, really, guys? You should know that complaining about Palin jokes is hardly the best way to get Eric to stop writing about her. If he holds to form, that'll just bring on more Palin jokes. Which I would appreciate. So keep complaining.
John Doe says:
October 6, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I rather liked this. I thought the Palin joke was in the stupid name comment. Anyway, I thought this article was just fun and funny. I wasn't aware of the other Palin references, and I want to stay blissfully ignorant of them. I was happy to see an article I interpreted as mostly free from politics.
momm says:
October 6, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I really liked this one. Taking young children to the zoo should be a fear factor event.

the walmart line... fabulous!

the even elephants aren't attracted ot other elephants line...fabulous!
andrew says:
October 6, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Lot of people down on this one. Not me. That Wal-Mart line was money.
Skizat says:
October 6, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Seriously, this one was very good. Calm down about your hero Sarah Palin, even if she was the absolute definite right choice for VP, she's super easy to make fun of.

Besides that, the Palin jokes were subtle and generalized enough that you could laugh at them without even knowing about her. Bravo, Eric.
mommyof3boys says:
October 6, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I loved it! Wouldn't change a thing! Thanks for sharing your talent.
Steve says:
October 6, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Eric has often commented on satire movies being dated by the time they are released simply due to the amount of time that it takes to produce a movie. Topical humor is great, but I think most people's negative reaction to the Palin reference is due to the fact that this is old news. We've already seen her daughter's pregnancy harped on in every possible venue, and we're tired of it. If this reference had occurred in a Snide Remarks a few days after the actual announcement, it would have been much funnier.

And that Wal-Mart line will likely be more nightmare-inducing than "The Dark Knight," so thanks for that.
Bridget says:
October 6, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Elephant ears (the snack) are dang good. Did you grow up calling them something else? I never considered it might be a regional dialect thing.
Christina D says:
October 6, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Um, not bitter about the Sarah Palin references, I seriously didn't laugh at this one at all. *shrug* Maybe I'm in the minority, but this read more like a human interest story, and I didn't find any of the lines particularly funny. Last week's was awesome though. If you think I'm that stupid, to just not enjoy the rest of Eric's humor because of the Palin references, then you're incorrect. Good try though!

Seriously, Joe Biden says just as much dumb stuff than Palin does. So I can only conclude that Eric really, really hates Palin for whatever reason. I enjoy the jokes much more when they are bipartisan efforts against stupidity on both sides... not when it's all against one person.

And I would imagine that any of you who have told me off for getting sad about it would feel the same way if Eric were ragging on Obama all the time, so don't pretend you're all high and mighty. Even though I don't like Obama, I wouldn't like that either. Bipartisan jokes are funny and balanced sets of jokes are funny. Going on and on about one person is not funny, except to the people who dislike her. The first couple were funny, but after that, it's just gotten old.

And I have stuck around for election times before, and I've not been offended, despite being for a particular candidate, because Eric generally is pretty bipartisan about making fun of the election candidates. So whatever guys.

Thanks for being such nice, understanding people! /sarcasm
Carrie says:
October 6, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I snorted. Twice.

At the annual regional fair back home, we used to make and sell Elephant Ears. Fried dough is so tasty!

I hate Dumbo because of that scene. It's so sad.
Eric D. Snider says:
October 6, 2008 at 5:03 pm
@Christina D: You're missing one crucial thing: I didn't make fun of Sarah Palin in this column. What I did was take a relatively famous quote of hers and reapply it to a different situation. I didn't make any comment on the source of the quote, the speaker of the quote, or the original circumstances of the quote. I merely used it, for comedic effect, in a situation that was unrelated but parallel (pregnant teenage daughter/pregnant teenage elephant). It is not a swipe at Palin. It is a reference to Palin.

And why didn't I make a reference to Joe Biden, too? Come on. It's not like I had to stretch really hard to figure out a way to squeeze in a Palin reference in a column about a pregnant teenage elephant. If I were writing about someone being longwinded, or someone who had a plagiarism scandal 20 years ago, or someone who has three rows of gleaming white shark teeth, then I would probably reference Biden. I might even go a step further and actually make fun of him -- which is more than I did with Palin in this column.

Have I made fun of Palin elsewhere? Absolutely. Will I continue to do so? You betcha. But this column is not an example of it.
seripa says:
October 6, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Eric, Eric, Eric...

Did you forget already? Referring to something in a humor column is the same thing as making fun of it! Maybe we need to find a way to run your column in a newspaper here in Utah again so that the fun-loving people here can remind you of that fact.
Christina D says:
October 6, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Eric, I will believe you, since you wrote the column. It did seem to me to be a sort of a hit against Palin's beliefs or something, since you also mentioned teaching abstinence and whatnot, but if you say it wasn't, then alright.

Just to clarify, I didn't mean you should make fun of Joe Biden in this column, because he obviously doesn't fit. I just meant in general... maybe sometime in the future.

I lol'd at the image of Biden with three rows of gleaming white shark teeth. :D

So anyway, I'm sorry then. I was wrong and I take my comments back.

@Seripa, I don't believe that I fall into that category of people. Thanks for trying to put me there though!
richrich says:
October 6, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I bet the "whole elephant-impregnation-enthusiast-community" was`nt half as amused as i was. har!
Adrienne says:
October 6, 2008 at 9:22 pm
ugh, the thought of Walmart and people buying sexy, lace garments that are stretched over places that should never have stretch makes me want to retch.

I got the Palin comment right away, you betcha! and Say it isn't so, Joe!
angela n says:
October 6, 2008 at 9:42 pm
The Wal-Mart line was beyond snort-worthy. I haven't laughed so hard at a one-liner in ages. Thank you.
Chocolatestu says:
October 6, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Adrienne - You forget, even fat people need lovin'. I would probably buy my lingerie at Wal-Mart, too, if I was huge. Who wants to go into Victoria's Secret and have all the tiny salesgirls staring at you? I found the Wal-Mart line funny, I'm not going to lie, but hey. Fat people are people, too. Isn't it comforting to know that if you gain 200 lbs. there's still a good chance you'll be able to find someone who wants to see you in lacy underwear? :)
Clumpy says:
October 6, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Christina, Palin is a far more colorful figure than Biden. That, plus the fact that she came essentially out of nowhere means that she'll see more of the public eye. The "colorful character" thing is the same reason why Al Gore was mocked so much more than John Kerry, why Obama gets more attention than McCain, and also the reason why anybody still talks about Henry Kissinger at all.

I like the looser, more personal style of more recent Remarks columns, far more in general than the ones I used to read in the paper.
Kristina says:
October 6, 2008 at 11:07 pm
The Walmart line? Best. Thing. Ever. Said.
Jeremy says:
October 6, 2008 at 11:28 pm
To be fair, a column about elephants does lend itself more towards jokes about republicans then democrats. Now if a donkey gets knocked up before next Monday then things will be even.
stephkitten says:
October 6, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Hi-freakin-larious.....I laughed through the whole thing, and again at the comments & reaction. I'm going to be giggling over the Wal-Mart line for hours. :)
Johnny Awesome says:
October 7, 2008 at 1:40 am
Loved it!!! Hilarious.
Deirdre says:
October 7, 2008 at 1:47 am
"Elephants are si big and hideous that not even other elephants don't like to hsve sex with them." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
David Manning says:
October 7, 2008 at 3:19 am
I agree with Lane that this one was tame, but last week's column more than makes up for it in my book. By the way, was I the only one who cringed at that Wal-Mart lingerie sale line? That's something I would have expected from Jay Leno, not the great Eric, and yet I obviously seem to be in the minority on that one...
Kaydria says:
October 7, 2008 at 4:01 am
The pedophile line made me laugh like nothing else. Pretty spectacular.

Although I think you really crossed the line with that Sarah Palin line. Maybe when you reach Tina Fey status you can make fun of her every week.

No I'm just kidding. How can you NOT make fun of someone who says "nucular"? If there's one thing the last 8 years have taught me is once you say that word, you're fair game.
Brett says:
October 7, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I don't understand all the fuss about the Palin line. It was funny! (And not really even political... now if Bristol had been knocked up by William Ayers - then we'd have an issue.)
Nelson says:
October 7, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Baby elephants are the bomb! I want one too. I love how they don't quite know what to do with that trunk yet, and it keeps flopping around, surprising them.
Byrd Brain says:
October 7, 2008 at 5:38 pm
The folks at work have now seen what it looks like when a person laughs and vomits at the same time thanks to the Wal-Mart line. Awesome. Just awesome.
Q says:
October 7, 2008 at 8:27 pm
@43--I have to agree. I saw the Wal-Mart line coming a mile away and it was definitely Leno-esque (not a compliment). I thought Eric was just kind of going through the motions on this column, but a free Snide Remarks column is almost always funnier than most of the paid ones out there, so I have no qualms.

As far as the political stuff and the back-and-forth that I see in the comments, I think both sides need to stop taking offense so quickly. I will say that I think the complaints from the Palin supporters aren't coming solely from someone poking fun at their candidate, as their critics suggest. Rather, I think there is a recently perceived bias in Eric's writings that is making people uncomfortable. That probably makes some conservative readers more sensitive, while making liberal readers more quick to defend. Personally, Eric had always struck me as an equal-opportunity satirist where you don't know/care what his personal beliefs are until he went all Dixie Chicks on us.

Regardless, Eric's comment #30 contains some nearly absurd hair-splitting, IMHO. I understand the difference between referencing something and actively lampooning it, but I don't see that here. At the very least, I think it was pretty clear what Christina D's initial comment was about. I never took it as her complaining about Palin references, per se, but as an appeal to even-handedness. Think more Jon Stewart, less Al Franken.
Jacob says:
October 7, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Tanny is a boy? Over all these years, I never would have thought.
Tashina says:
October 7, 2008 at 11:08 pm
ELEPHANTS!!!! I am melting into a puddle of mush.
matt says:
October 7, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Hey Q:
Remember when Janet Jackson showed off her boob? And everyone called everything a "wardrobe malfunction?" They were just referencing the event. Nobody was really making fun of Janet Jackson anymore.

Anyway, I think that most of us without a strong affiliation toward one party or the other would still call Eric even-handed. Without a party loyalty, you can point out anything that you think is stupid and actually look at politics logically. You can laugh at whatever you want, too! It's actually very liberating.

Also, and this is the best part, you can look at each issue on its own, without first consulting your party line before deciding how you feel about it.

I know, huh?!
memyselfandi says:
October 8, 2008 at 1:01 am
Mr. Eric sir, I am still chuckling over your last column. I'm afraid this one pales beside it's bank bashing predecessor, but that banking one was genius. Being a large married woman, I was not amused by the Wal-Mart joke, but I forgive you in your youthful ignorance. (I'm sure you're very relieved to hear that.) Write on!
Carrie says:
October 8, 2008 at 1:29 am
I'm amazed by how defensive people get over jokes made at the expense of their preferred politician. Was anyone here birthed by Sarah Palin? Is she your sister? Did she save you from a fiery carcrash? What is the emotional tie?
Jenn says:
October 8, 2008 at 3:42 am
It took me scrolling through all the comments to get the giggles from reading this column out; although a few of the comments started them again!! I do have to say though, as a Wal-Mart peon, I will not walk through my store without flashing back to that line & laughing!!
lindsay says:
October 8, 2008 at 4:11 am
Tanny Tantan is a boy? All these years I've been thinking of him as a female. Perhaps I should go peruse some past articles to figure out where I went wrong.
Amp says:
October 8, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hey, #55, you're not alone. I'd always thought Tanny Tantan was a girl, too.
Q says:
October 8, 2008 at 10:20 pm
matt: I disagree with your comparison. In my opinion, "wardrobe malfunction" somehow entered the vernacular after the Super Bowl incident and really stopped referring to Janet Jackson or the event altogether. And yet at the same time, those who use that phrase with the intent of hearkening back to the sunburst nipple piercing are precisely poking fun at that moment--because the concept/term of a 'wardrobe malfunction' after seeing what we saw was just ridiculous. In other words, it either doesn't reference it at all, or is anything but a bland reference to the antecedent event and is used to poke fun at it. It's dubious to think that it is ever used to refer to JJ or the event without poking fun. Otherwise, you wouldn't use it, would you?

In this case, by Eric's own admission, he has written a column about a baby elephant and invented a pretty funny element to the story that closely parallels that of Sarah Palin's family. Because her comments on the subject (and on some others lately) have been widely lampooned, it is not unreasonable that any sensible person would interpret his invoking those comments as taking a little jab at Palin while writing an otherwise unrelated article. That's the impression I got, and I thought it was pretty funny. Whether Eric meant it that way or not, I don't know and I don't care. Good satirists often make jokes on accident...

The point I was trying to make that was lost on you was that those who might be more sensitive to Palin-bashing would perhaps see as just that. I think that reaction is clearly within the range of interpretations (without ascribing any intent to Eric).

I agree that Eric is pretty even-handed (indeed, I said as much in my original comment). But I, even as a non-partisan, have noticed a change in his columns of late (a change, I might add, that he is certainly entitled to).

I got lost on the rest of your post about party loyalties, logic, party lines, etc. I suspect I agree with you, except that for me, politics and logic have never mixed.

Finally, it was actually JT who exposed the boob. 'Miss Jackson' just pretended to be surprised...
Rob D. says:
October 9, 2008 at 5:55 am
Lol at Eric's #30 comment and saying "you betcha" to the question of whether he will make fun of Palin again.................That was very subtle Eric- you are definitely a maverick! I like Palin, but it's ok when Eric makes fun of her. He makes fun of all people, left and right. I just wish that the general media would make fun of both sides. Has anyone noticed that SNL is afraid to make fun of Obama?
Eric D. Snider says:
October 9, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Rob D. you read my mind. Here's a blog entry about why some politicians get made fun of while others don't.
Jen says:
October 17, 2008 at 2:04 am
Eric, the pedophile joke makes me sense that those Law and Order: SVU marathons left a lasting impression! But I'm OK with that. It was a good one- plus, I have a somewhat shameful love of SVU.
TashaKay says:
October 19, 2008 at 7:24 am
Who knew a column about elephants could raise such fervor? It's a little frightening.

The column was freakin' hilarious, though.
bartonjabber says:
November 14, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I have no idea why people didn't love this one!

It was GREAT! I lvoed the Wal-Mart line and everything else about this!

This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.

Eric D. Snider