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George Plimpton George Plimpton is offline
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Default Taco Bell Pulls Super Bowl Ad Making Fun of Veggie Eaters AfterVeggie Eaters Complain

On 1/31/2013 11:41 AM, Derek wrote:
> [
> trimmed]
>
> On 31/01/2013 19:09, Dr. Jai Maharaj wrote:
>> Taco Bell Pulls Super Bowl Ad Making Fun of Veggie Eaters
>> After Veggie Eaters Complain
>>
>> January 30, 2013
>>
>> United States, January 2013 (gawker.com): A Taco Bell ad
>> chastising party-poopers who bring veggie platters to
>> Game Day has been pulled following a Twitter campaign
>> launched by the Center for Science in the Public
>> Interest.
>>
>> Continues at:
>>
>> http://www.hinduismtoday.com/blogs-n...ain/12678.html
>>

>
> "punting on fourth and one" Is that, "playing it safe" or something?


In American football, when a team takes possession of the ball, they
have four downs (plays) to try to advance 10 yards. If they succeed in
advancing the ball 10 yards, they get a new set of downs (unless they
advance past the other team's goal line, resulting in scoring a
touchdown worth six points.) On the fourth attempt to advance the
initial 10 yards, if they fail to advance beyond the point 10 yards from
where they first took possession, the lose the ball on downs and the
other team takes possession. Typically, if the team possessing the ball
is between their own goal line and the midfield line (50 yard line),
they'll punt the ball to the other team. A punt is a kick: the ball is
snapped from the line of scrimmage to the punter standing about 15 yards
behind the line, and he kicks the ball in the air; someone on the
defensive team usually tries to catch the ball and run with it.
However, if the team with the ball is in the other team's half of the
field (pitch), and if there is but a short distance left to complete a
10 yard advance and obtain another set of downs, then the team with the
ball may elect to try to gain the necessary advance. There is a variety
of game situations in which a team might try to do this rather than
punting the ball or perhaps trying to kick a field goal.

The metaphor "punting on fourth and one" means, indeed, to play it safe,
or conservatively. It's also taken as meaning lacking confidence in
one's ability to advance, even though not much advance is required -
that is, a metaphor for gutlessness. The "one", of course, refers to
one yard left to go. Even worse would be "punting on fourth and inches."


> I can't see why anyone would think a comment like that would "discourage
> people from eating vegetables."


By itself, it wouldn't. But as you might imagine, dietary choice has
been heavily politicized here. The "Center for Science in the Public
Interest" is not a true science advisory group at all. It's a left-wing
advocacy group with a long and sordid history of peddling pseudoscience
in order to try to dictate to people what they "ought" to eat. Yes,
they very much advocate vegetarianism, and if they want to advocate it
on ethical principles, no one would really object, but when they try to
dress it up in the language of fake science, it becomes objectionable.

Jay Stevens, aka "'Dr.' Jai Maharaj", aka the jyotishithead, is not a
doctor, not a Hindoo, and is in fact a Caucasian lying shitbag from
Hawaii who does real vegetarians a disservice by making them look like
intolerant meddlers. He's a fraudster - he claims to be an astrologer,
and he tells people their "fortunes" and futures for money, so he is
committing outright fraud.


> I certainly do hope the minority of
> vegetarians incapable of taking a bit of a joke don't ruin things for
> the majority who can.


****wits like Jay Stevens and CSPI are exactly the reason why "vegans"
are widely considered to be completely humorless.