{"product_id":"dangerous-crooked-scoundrels-insulting-the-president-from-washington-to-trump-hardcover","title":"Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEdwin L. Battistella\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInsulting the president is an American tradition. From Washington to Trump, presidents have been called \"lazy,\" \"feeble,\" \"pusillanimous,\" and more. Our leaders have been derided as \"ignoramuses,\" \"idiots,\" \"morons,\" and \"fatheads,\" and have been compared to all manner of animals--worms and whales and hyenas, sad jellyfish, strutting crows, lap dogs, reptiles, and monkeys. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePolitical insults tell us what we value in our leaders by showing how we devalue them. In \u003cem\u003eDangerous Crooked Scoundrels, \u003c\/em\u003e linguist Edwin Battistella collects over five hundred insults aimed at American presidents. Covering the broad sweep of American history, he puts insults in their place-the political and cultural context of their times. Along the way, Battistella illustrates the recurring themes of political insults: too little intellect or too much, inconsistency or obstinacy, worthlessness, weakness, dishonesty, sexual impropriety, appearance, and more. The kinds of insults we use suggest what our culture finds most hurtful, and reveal society's changing prejudices as well as its most enduring ones. How we insult presidents and how they react tells us about the presidents, but it also tells us about our nation's politics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eReaders discover how the style of insults evolves in different historical periods: gone are \"apostate,\" \"mountebank,\" \"flathead,\" and \"doughface.\" Say hello to \"moron,\" \"jerk,\" \"asshole,\" and \"flip-flopper.\" \u003cem\u003eDangerous Crooked Scoundrels\u003c\/em\u003e covers the broad sweep of American history, from the founder's debates over the nature of government to world wars and culture wars and social media. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhatever your politics, you'll find \u003cem\u003eDangerous Crooked Scoundrels\u003c\/em\u003e an invaluable source of invigorating invective-and a healthy perspective on today's political climate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdwin L. Battistella\u003c\/strong\u003e teaches linguistics and writing at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he has served as a dean and as interim provost. His books include \u003cem\u003eBad Language: Are Some Words Better than Others?\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSorry About That: The Language of Public Apology\u003c\/em\u003e. He writes a monthly column, \"Between the Lines with Edwin Battistella,\" for the Oxford University Press blog.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 228\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 7.3 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 18, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42729842442303,"sku":"9780190050900","price":20.38,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/f983c6e7c99faca8b88833d657f6b061.webp?v=1765123816","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/dangerous-crooked-scoundrels-insulting-the-president-from-washington-to-trump-hardcover","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}