{"product_id":"dangerous-crooked-scoundrels-edwin-l-battistella-9780190050900","title":"Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump","description":"Insulting 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. \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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Edwin L. Battistella\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 019005090X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780190050900\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/18\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 228\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.30h x 5.50w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2020 pg. 96\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2022","brand":"Edwin L. Battistella","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43994483065087,"sku":"9780190050900","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_225640ac-3b78-4efe-b8c0-297bd3af3b2f.jpg?v=1683330424","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/dangerous-crooked-scoundrels-edwin-l-battistella-9780190050900","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}