This is amusing:
Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name as it tries to shake a reputation battered by oft-criticized work in Iraq, renaming its family of two dozen businesses under the name Xe.
The parent company’s new name is pronounced like the letter “z.” Blackwater Lodge & Training Center — the subsidiary that conducts much of the company’s overseas operations and domestic training — has been renamed U.S. Training Center Inc., the company said Friday.
But not as funny as this:
The term “Religious Right” pops up every election cycle, but leaders often identified with the political movement say that while their constituencies remain strong, the catchphrase deserves a proper burial.
After Election Day, the BBC declared that times are uncertain for the Religious Right. In September 2008, Newsweek declared a Religious-Right Revival after Sarah Palin was nominated vice president. Even after the election, the term “Religious Right” or “Christian Right” appeared in recent obituaries as journalists searched for words to describe Paul Weyrich, cofounder of the Moral Majority, and the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, founder of Catholic journal First Things.
However, several politically conservative evangelicals said in interviews that they do not want to be identified with the “Religious Right,” “Christian Right,” “Moral Majority,” or other phrases still thrown around in journalism and academia.
I propose we rename the disease cancer, and I am suggesting we call it Puppybreathrosepetalcoolsideofthepillowdipinthelakecoolbreezesunnyday. After we re-brand it, no one will care if they die from it, amirite?
kommrade reproductive vigor
Xe marks the spot.
I agree with the Not-Religious Christian Right. We should call them fuckfaced hypocrites to reflect reality.
cleek
Xe Nu !
Rosali
That’s like putting lipstick on a pig.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
I wonder what xe.com think of this. Do they need to hire their own contractors to defend their domain?
Pudentilla
They’ve got a point. From now on, I’m referring to them as "The Whited Sepulchres."
jenniebee
Sure, when they do it, it’s rebranding, but when liberals suggest that "differently abled" is a more positive way of thinking about being "handicapped" or that "African American" is preferable to "n—-r", that’s OMG UR POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS VIOLATING MY FREE SPEECH !ELEVENTYONE!
shortstop
Payback for demonizing the word "liberal," bitches.
Pudentilla, saw the Whited Sepulchres gag over at Washington Monthly. That’s my favorite so far, along with Cotton Mathermouths.
Mojotron
I wouldn’t be surprised if the LiveNation/Ticketmaster merger is being done in part to get away from the
PuppystranglerTicketmaster name.KCinDC
Let’s not forget Altria.
And of course there’s KFC (formerly Kentucky Fried Chicken), because no one will realize it’s fried if you don’t use "Fried" in the name.
Brick Oven Bill
My personal favorite is “Universal Voluntary Service”, the close cousin of “Mandatory Fun”. The question I have been debating is what percentage of these universal volunteers will wear uniforms.
My over/under is 37%. I am looking forward to the patches.
fronobulax
I personally hope that Blackwater changes its logo from "Xe" to some untelligible sqiggle, so then we can call it "the company formerly known as Xe".
calling all toasters
Maybe they’ll change "Religious Right" to "the Religious White."
dr. bloor
Xe, only because this was already taken.
jcricket
@fronobulax: Heh! Good one.
I think Republicans should re-brand themselves, since Republican is now a dirty word. Maybe Republicans could now be called Blackwater, since it’s available?
SpotWeld
I’m sort of surprised that no one has pointed this out, but it’s pretty obvious that the main reason Blackwater changed it’s name is that "Blackwater" is just too American a name for company that is now going to be (and has been) selling it’s services on a global basis.
jcricket
"The party formerly known as sane?"
"The party formerly known as winners?"
Party of one?
DRD 1812
Xe is a perfect choice. Short for Xenophobic.
John Cole
@SpotWeld: Country First!
Reverend Dennis
"Xe"? I guess "Murder Incorporated" is still under copyright.
Rosali
I don’t care if it’s now known as AirTran. I still refuse to fly on ValuJet.
Perry Como
Republicans will now be known as "Tax Cuts!"
El Cid
None of these ‘formerly known as Blackwater’ people are a Noble Gas.
maya
I like the label, Social Conservative. They should get a lot more party invites because they go easy on the beer and dip.
gwangung
Should call those jokers what they always were–Pharisees.
scarshapedstar
How about the Religious Wrong?
Mike in NC
"Blackwater Butchers" has a nice ring to it. Truth in advertising, etc.
Jon H
@Brick Oven Bill: "My personal favorite is “Universal Voluntary Service”, the close cousin of “Mandatory Fun”. The question I have been debating is what percentage of these universal volunteers will wear uniforms."
Dumbass, "universal" just means that, unlike the military, anyone can volunteer.
Jon H
I look forward to Ze Frank filing a defamation suit.
Rome Again
@scarshapedstar:
That was going to be my suggestion too.
Tonal Crow
Oh, they dislike "Religious Right" now? Well, how about "Christian Taliban" instead?
Rome Again
@gwangung:
Pharisees has biblical ramifications. They’d have to stone themselves.
Rome Again
I liked someone’s suggestion on Think Progress yesterday – Evilangelicals.
Rome Again
@maya:
They think they’re "the host".
R-Jud
@Rome Again:
Perfect!
gwangung
Yes? And…?
El Cid
I’ve liked "Talibangelicals" for a while for the ultra-Christianists.
Rome Again
@gwangung:
I wasn’t disagreeing. ;)
joe from Lowell
Meanwhile, I’m seeing Democrats prominently describing themselves as "Democrats" and even "liberals."
Signs of the times.
Rome Again
@joe from Lowell:
Yes We Can!
Farley
@cleek:
How about "Xenudu, the musical! On skates!"
srv
How about the unchristian right?
Delia
OMG! OMG! Somebody call Frank Luntz quick. His frameshop just burned down.
gil mann
God, that was so evil. Almost makes me want to quit smoking.
I’m pretty sure that one was just to make it sound hip (as in "-hop"). When your key demo is urban youth, you probably have to do something to offset the fact that your macot is a FUCKING PLANTATION OWNER.
gil mann
Your macot or your mascot, whichever.
ChristianPinko
No, it’s spelled "Xe," but it’s pronounced, "Throatwobbler Mangrove."
jethro
You pronounce "xe" as "zed"? Weird.
larryrant
"zed" makes more sense.
Howard Dean said the RR "are the Pharisees and the Sadducees" several years ago.
The Gryffin
And she calls him Little Blackwater
And it brings him to his knees.
And he says, "Don’t call me Little Blackwater,
Call me Xe."
VJBinCT
‘Xe’ is the symbol for xenon, an inert gas. It does not form compounds with any elements. I suppose that there is material for a new nickname for Blackwater in this somewhere.
‘Inert gasbags’ may describe the GOP, but Xe, not so much. Would appreciate any clever monnikers.
Of course, ‘Xe for xenophobe’ is kinda pertinent.
David
Call them shit. It’s what they are.
marty
Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name to KFC because the state of Kentucky registered themselves as a trademark, and wanted money to use the word "Kentucky" in any company name. KFC are or have reverted to Kentucky Fried Chicken after negotiations with the state.
Blackwater should rename themselves as "Amway".
GenXWho
I rather like "Godbotherers"
Carl Brutanananadilewski
Xe and the religious right can merge and become Xevangelicals! It’s pronounced "zee-van-GEL-uh-culls" not to be confused with the Xevongelicals, which are the die hard fans of Warren Xevon.
Akronym
Perhaps "Taliban-Evangelical Republican Diehards"?
(aka: TERDs)
Calamity Jean
Re: #50. That’s pretty funny, because "blackwater" is what plumbers call water drained from toilets, or in other words, water contaminated by shit. (Water drained from other sources such as sinks and bathtubs is called "greywater" and it dry areas people plumb it out separately to use for irrigating trees; Google "greywater irrigation".)
Ron
RE: relig. rite rebranding
I always thought "values voters" was a softer expression.
But consider that even that mild expression is now tainted. That’s how badly Bush’s parasitism has crippled the host: Thanks to Bush, even a relatively benign appellation like "values voters" sounds cynical.
Bush didn’t really think his electoral base, the "values voters", deserved his genuine respect. The only people he treated with respect were his monied backers; not the snake handlers he had to gladhand on the stump.
You see what I’m saying? No stone has been left unsullied. "Values voters" has been rendered unfit even for the dungheap.
Who knows?: Maybe the blight is so bad that people are even going to be able to sniff out and rebuff *future* rebranding efforts. There’s a thought!
John of Indiana
Call the sumbitches the "Taliborn-again"
JeffConn
"Religious right" are now "sea kittens". ;-)
Mark
I’m thinking madrassa mongers