Category: metonymy of Olympia (Page 3 of 5)

Because you shouldn’t use the metonymy when talking about oh holy Redmond, but you sure as hell can when talking about Olympia.

So, just to double check. Redmond does not equal Microsoft.

Olympia does equal state government. Gotcha.

And, bite me.

What, expecting only one blog post tonight about my crazy pet peave? Sorry, I have time on my hands and links to link to.

I thought I’d point out the use of Olympia in regards to state government that is not metonymy. Basically, the rule is you’re safe if you are saying “in Olympia” and not “Olympia did this.” So, if you’re making a geographic distinction, you’re fine.

For example, Sen. Steve Hobbs (of some place up north I guess):

“I fought hard to carry out the wishes of my district,” Hobbs said. “When we come to a consensus as a community, I am able to carry our message to Olympia and work for the necessary results.”

Sen. Hobbs’ example is great because he even cites “my district” and “to Olympia,” making the obvious point that although he works “in Olympia” for a few months a year, he is actually from somewhere else in Washington. This is often something missed or fuzzed over when Olympia is metonymized.

And, an update from Rep.Reuven Carlyle in MyBallard. The headline states “from Olympia.” The report itself says things like “in Olympia” and “visitors to Olympia.”

Of course the trains leaves the tracks in the comment thread below when a commenter says “people in Ballard are compassionate and will enjoy giving their money to Olympia.” God, don’t I wish.

And, of course, I can’t leave without one more bad example from homefront media. From the Sammamish Reporter: “Help for carers under threat from Olympia.” I hate helping you and I hate your career, so this is a convenient one for me.

Rich Roesler was top of the table, many points clear as they say in the soccer world in the race for worst metonymizer of Olympia. Even Rich’s blog name and url were metonymy. But, in the last few days, Steven Gardener of the Bremerton Sun’s Kitsap Caucus blog has grabbed the title.

1. Champion Gardener: “Last Minute Olympia Gamesmanship.” We got game, we are Olympia. And, you should see our manship too, its pretty good.

2. Again, champ Gardener: “Olympia’s Deadline Looms and We’re Here to Watch”. Damn right I have a deadline. You have until Monday morning, you all better be out of town or I’m calling your own towns and they’re going to have to drive down here to take you back.

3. And, last week weird progressive metonymy: Chad Shue with “Hello Olympia, it’s time for the tax talk.” Hi Chad, personally, I’m uncomfortable with that sort of conversation with you. Please, take it up with your King County state representative please.

When the legislature folds up the tents on Sunday, I have hope my terror will end. But, as the engine of democracy begins its high pitch squeal towards sine die, the metonymy is getting way out of hand.

1. #olympia misuse on twitter continues.

2. From Seattle Courant: Olympia Says Seattle Property Owners Should Pay for Cost Overruns to Replace Viaduct. Boy, don’t you wish we could tell Seattle what to do.

3. Seattle PI gets it both wrong and right. You have to read the rss feed to find it but, it reads: “Legislative Democrats let Washingtonians down” and “Olympia’s disappointing Democrats: Minorities get rights, but state programs get the shaft.”

4. Washington Policy Blog (finally a conservative misuse): “For a while there Seattle Times’ top Olympia reporter Andrew Garber…” Boy, don’t I wish the Seattle Times actually had a “top” Olympia reporter. Or, if anyone else other than the Olympian covered Olympia. In my sense, not everyone elses.

5. Sightline Instutue (via Seattle dirt): “With Olympia locked in a power struggle over plans to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the 520 floating bridge…” If only. Man, what I would do with a floating bridge in Olympia.

The metonymy of Olympia in twitter terms: As Mathias would say, in twitter #olympia means something that actually is about Olympia, not state government in general (as used here, ironically by a locally focused twitter feed).

As much as I assume Sondra knows her geography, I hope someone from Federal Way wouldn’t be considered a Lympian.

1. The Washington bus basically points out that Oly(mpia) ain’t a city, but rather a collection of gray, greek-wannabe buildings.

By the way, saying “Oly” doesn’t make you young and hip. I’ve heard 70 year olds say Oly without any irony. It makes you sound like a poser.

2. Clark Williams-Derry: “Heads up, Salem & Olympia,” and then something on climate change. Once we can tell Seattle and Bellevue what to do, we’ll get right on that.

3. The Seattle Courant: “Olympia: Gas Tax Revenue Down, Tolls and $4.3 Billion in New Transportation Spending.” Our gas tax revenue may be down, I’m not really sure if we have a local gas tax, but so are they for every locality, I would assume.

4. Andrew: “Although the Worker Privacy Act is dead (no thanks to Olympia)…” We can’t take credit or blame for what your representative does while they’re inside our city. So, bite me.

That last links brings a thought together for me. You see, I read a lot of political stuff and I keep an eye out for metonnymic uses of Olympia (or people who I know do so for me now). And, I’ve seen a lot more liberals use Olympia to mean the state government or the state legislature than conservatives.

Might just speak to my reading list which has a lot more liberal outlets than conservative, but I don’t avoid right wing blogs and sources by any means. It just surprises me any time I hear a liberal use the metonymic Olympia.

And, this is why: It gets back to the othering of government. That if your state government is “Olympia,” some distant crap-ass place where crazy people make decisions for you, you really aren’t to blame for what’s going on.

But, if Olympia is just another town, and the state legislature is made up of locally elected folks and the governor is elected by a statewide popular election, then we’re all to blame for what goes on inside our government.

Conservatives like othering government because they don’t trust government and don’t want it to work. You’d think liberals would be of a different mind.

1. The Other Side withOlympia is not closing Universities (so far) just shredding the social safety net…. Sorry about your social safety net, not sure how we got the authority to do that. But, to be honest, we’d never close a University, we’d actually like one of our own. Our four year school is just a lousy college.

2. Washington Conservation Voters (March 10) with an email titled “Have you called Olympia?” I do, practically everyday!

3. And, Richard Roesler at the SR politics blog with Idaho continues to loom on Olympia’s radar… It is such a big state Rich, and we’re such a small city, they all seem to loom on our radar. Except Rhode Island.

Weird headline construction if Josh Feit isn’t:

Democrats in Olympia to the Voters: You Were Wrong About that Environmental Stuff

Much easier to write “Oly Dems to to Voters” or “Olympia to Voters,” no?

Because you can’t tell the difference between a town and the state legislature:

Hey Olympia, hands off the $

Dear Rhenda,

President Obama signed the federal stimulus plan to help states and their residents rebound from the current recession. Funding for health care is a significant part of the package. Washington State’s share is expected to be $2.06 billion over the next two years.

However, there is danger that lawmakers in Olympia will take the money with one hand, but then turn around and still make deep cuts to the health care safety-net with the other. That’s just wrong.

Email your legislators to demand that they use this new federal health care funding to stop cuts to the health care safety-net.

We agree with President Obama when he said, “These funds are intended to go directly toward helping struggling Americans keep their health coverage.” Now more than ever, we can not afford to weaken our health care safety-net programs such as the Basic Health Plan.

This past Sunday, the Tacoma News Tribune ran a guest editorial outlining the need to ensure federal dollars from the economic stimulus go to strengthen our state health care programs. Take a minute to read it now, www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/othervoices/story/642058.html then email your lawmakers.

Wanna have an even bigger impact? Please join us next Wednesday, March 11 in Olympia to speak directly to your legislators about the need to strengthen our health care programs. This is your last opportunity to register, so sign-up today!

Thank you for all of your support!

~the Washington CAN team

Hat tip to dear ol’Rhenda Strub, because she cc’d me on her response:

Olympia has no control over the money. Olympia is a city struggling to make ends meet just like every other city in the state. If you have a gripe with the legislature, please say so and stop batting our name around to make your point. Most of the legislators are from up there where you are. Why not say “Hey Seattle, hands off the $”

Rhenda Iris Strub
Olympia City Councilmember

I honestly couldn’t argue with Heather’s actual point, but to make that point on the back of a lazy use of language, she can bite me.

And, yes: an elected official has bought into my crazy pet peeve.