What was it? A name he used for Rick Santorum, aka at TDFB as Mr. Sanctimonious and Mr. Sweater Vest. (See my post from 1/12 for an example.)
And… surprise of all surprises, along the flow of one of Oliver's monologues, he referred to our not-so-bright GOP Foe as "Mr. Sweater Vest"! Hmmm. Where did that come from in 2013 when we haven't seen him around in almost a year? Writers often think alike. Phrases and Names for Human Disasters can be easy to create when we're snarky. I've had the same thoughts/phrases/titles in my mind end up the same day on the tongues of those I watch on Comedy or News Shows. I never thought anything other than the truth: some energies and thoughts are truly "out there" and a group of people will unknowingly, simultaneously, pick it up. But not in the precise language.
Which is why this time, of all of the names I've heard by comedians and used in titles on TV programs and in print that coincided with each other, it seems a bit too close to "coincidence" that anyone would think of and then use the Exact Name without having read it elsewhere. MR. Sweater Vest? The Daily Show writers could have concocted the same name I did based on the seemingly endless sweater vests the Sanctimonious One wore wherever he went during his Unsuccessful Prez Bid last year.
BUT, isn't it a bit too Literally Word-For-Word-Name to not have come from this Little Blog in the Big Cyber Universe? Therein is why I've been lurking in Modest Curiosity without leaping from the Suspicious Closet until now with the query-comment-almost-but-not-really accusation of having been ripped-off. Or, let's not use that phrase, and, instead, say/think/write how flattering it is to be copied (as all of us do with others - consciously or not).
Sure. I'll be happy to believe one of the writers pops by now and again (as most culture-oriented writers do) to discover what obscure, as well as Major Publications, are "saying" about various topics. Most of the time, "copying" is indeed a form of blatant flattery. I've done it in a mixture of styles from numerous Writerbloggers (my new way of labeling those who know how to write quite well no matter what the subject, rather than Basic Blogging in language difficult to understand – such as how several people have told me about a few of my posts. Ahem)
I "brought this up" not as a Completely Back-Patting or Proof Of Delusions Galore Self. But I wanted to let you all know that sometimes Funny Minds Work Alike, and at other times, Funny Minds Need To Look Elsewhere To Justify Their Reason To Get A Paycheck.
By the way, despite initial misgivings on John Oliver taking over for Stewart (while he continued to grow a beard and turn greyer while making a film for a good cause), my impression changed. I thought Oliver gave a good show; was wonderfully silly, earnest, intelligent and, above all, generally entertaining.
Have a Wonderful Whatever!
Image via: http://www.onlinedegreeprograms.com
No comments:
Post a Comment