shithole: how offensive is it? and how is it different from butthole and asshole?

thanks to  offensive comments made by president trump about immigration and the subsequent outrage, shithole has become the hottest word of the new year. but if u are not familiar with idiomatic english, u could easily confuse shithole with asshole and butthole. they’re different though, and that’s the motivation for the newest video on the

listen for this  at :05

that would be appropriate, wouldn’t it?

because the statement (that would be appropriate) is affirmative, the tag (wouldn’t it?) is negative.

take it to the streets at :20  gives the idea of a public protest. it is very similar to the title of this classic by the doobie brothers

at :25 in the richyrocks vid, ain’t no denying is used to talk about the realities that trump’s presidency represents is an informal substitute for isn’t, means reject.  one of those realities is that the publicity that trump generates often makes his comments good material for cool english practice here on richyrocks.com.

his english receives more coverage than anyone else in the world, (for that reason) the titles english vocabulary coach in chief at :30 and english vocabulary emperor at :37.  in-chief is often added to the end of a presidential responsibility. for example, when the president needs to give an explanation to the public, the media may refer to him as the explainer-in-chief. or when there is a disaster or national tragedy, it’s common to see the president called the consoler in-chief.

a gazelle swallowing

a gazelle swallowing. kinda . (giphy.com)

swallow it, at :32, is asking u to accept the power  trump has to influence english vocabulary globally.  the original idea of swallow is the physical act of sending food from the mouth to the stomach.

the explanation of shithole uses a variation of a common saying: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, which means we all have different criteria about what is nice or valuableone man’s shithole is another man’s mar a lago mentions the famous resort owned by trump. though not mentioned directly in the video, it’s important to understand that shithole is NOT a synonym for anus like asshole and butthole are.

mar a lago (evan agostini/getty images)

though asshole is not described directly as an insult in the richyrocks video, that is usually how it is used. for example, you’re an asshole! is used several times as an insult in this hilarious (offensive?) frank zappa song…

 

during the explanation of asshole at 1:48 in the richyrocks video, make our shit great again is referencing trump’s campaign in this context means things or stuff.

when butthole is used as an insult, it is a softer version of asshole. but as the vid explains, of the three words in the title, it is the one most commonly used as a synonym for anus. listen for it at the end of this hilarious scene from the movie step brothers.

hey derek, u know what’s always good for shoulder pain? if u lick my butthole.

lick means pass over with the tongue.

at 2:13 toughen up is encouraging people saddened by trump calling other countries shithole countries to get emotionally stronger or more resistant. don’t take that shit to heart uses shit again to say things or stuff. take to heart means let something affect u emotionally.

ain’t right, at 2:16 is another example of ain’t replacing isn’t.

at 2:18, word is a common, informal way to show agreement.

dave chapelle, "word"

word? = really?

at 2:22, the comment…

that wouldn’t have offended me that much.

…is : a hypothetical example in the past.  the modal auxiliary would plus have plus the past participle offended.

in the line at 2:31

i got roommates and neighbors and such

i got is a reduction of –the alternative to i have. and such means like that. it is used in the chorus of this well known willie nelson & waylon jennings duet.

the next line of the richyrocks vid, at 2:32, is

kinda like “that wasn’t no shithole. that was a nice place.”

means a little or more or less is used here to introduce dialogue. wasn’t no shithole is a double negative; frowned on (disapproved) in formal english but common in everyday english.

finally, at 2:45 so to speak is recognizing that the comparison between a shithole and mar a lago is not typical, it’s an unusual metaphor. a famous quote (words said) by author aldous huxley uses so to speak to describe the future that we are living with the image of a dictatorship without tears.

aldous huxley

there will be in the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak,  producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them but will rather enjoy it.

painless means without pain. the synonym means without. take away means remove, strip.  rather is similar to quite or pretty.

movie poster for the perfect dicatorship--vocabulario en inglés--shithole

the english title of this excellent mexican movie contains the word ‘dictatorship’

damn. is that how we’re living today?  dictatorship without tears? painless concentration camps? medicated servitude? sounds like a shithole  😹😿

how offended would u be if the president of another country called your home a shithole? share your feelings under leave a reply


 

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