This month we have BIMBO comments from a serial killer, a Russian, and a very toney magazine editor. Wrong Thing to Say examples from a Republican congressional candidate (do they have a lock on this category?) and Kim Kardashian. Yet another congressman, also Republican, drops out of his re-election campaign.
THE WINNING BIMBO
“I am not suicidal,” said actor Jussie Smollett after being sentenced to 150 days in jail. Smollett was also ordered to pay restitution over $120,000 and a $25,000 fine for making a false report of what turned out to be a staged hate crime. See my additional comments and advice on this unfortunate comment. I want Jussie rehabilitated. Does anyone know him?
CNN, “Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in jail for lying to police in hate crime hoax,” March 11, 2022
THE RUNNERS-UP
“I don’t have a gambling problem,” said Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley after being caught, and admitting, that he bet $1500 total on games while he wasn’t playing for the team. Poor Calvin. Of course, he has a “problem”. Even if he’s not technically an addict, anyone who would deliberately compromise the sport that provides him a living and purpose has a “problem”. Another example of a person who needs to face himself and apologize.
USA Today Sports, “How Falcons WR Calvin Ridley got caught betting on NFL games,” March 7, 2022
“There’s not going to be any boycott. There’s zero, not one iota chance that we would boycott,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis about the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We wish Sen. Tillis had said, “We’re going to have a proper vote on the nominee, absolutely, positively...”
The Hill, “GOP shoots down Supreme Court boycott,” March 24, 2022
“I am not a killer,” said accused serial killer Billy Chemirmir, charged with over a dozen smothering murders of women in their 80s and 90s. Chemirmir was apprehended almost by mistake after one of his victims survived and he was caught trying to get rid of jewelry from a previous victim. His first trial ended in a mistrial. Note the “I am not a killer” line made it into the headline.
The Dallas Morning News, “‘I am not a killer’: In interview, Billy Chemirmir says he’ll be acquitted in 18 N. Texas murders,” March 6, 2022
“We’re not indifferent to what’s happening. So, you shouldn’t think we are barbarians who are carrying sticks and beating everyone,” said Dmitry Serov, a Russian living a rural village, and member of the Russia Night Wolves Motorcycle club. He supports President Putin. What can we say but “oh yes you are!” and to point out that Germany suffered for two generations following WWII. The pictures of devastated Ukrainian hospitals and schools have been widely circulated and will stick in our collective minds for decades.
The Wall Street Journal, “In Rural Russia, Locals Blame the West for Conflict in Ukraine, Back Putin,” March 17, 2022
“I have not come into this storied title to wreak egomaniacal havoc,” said Hamish Bowles, new editor of The World of Interiors magazine. Bowles is only the third editor in the magazine’s 41-year history and is described as the “consummate dinner companion” of Anna Wintour, Vogue’s longtime ruler. This comment was just too good to pass up. Our prediction? Bowles is going to discover that the magazine world had changed, and he has to make major changes and it’s going to cause, yes, “havoc”.
The New York Times, “Hamish Bowles Enters The World of Interiors,” March 3, 2022
WRONG THING TO SAY
Michigan GOP candidate said he tells daughters to “lie back and enjoy it” if rape is inevitable. Robert Regan, a Republican favored to win a seat in the Michigan House, made the comments while trying to make an analogy about abandoning efforts to decertify the 2020 election. There is just nothing to add to this except to note he joins a number of SRCs (Stupid Republican Candidates) like Todd Akin who talked about “legitimate rape”. Isn’t there anyone who can tell President Trump the 2020 election is over?
The Washington Post, “Michigan GOP candidate says he tells daughters to ‘lie back and enjoy it’ if rape is inevitable,” March 8, 2022
"It wasn't a blanket statement towards women or to feel like I don't respect the work or think that they don't work hard." Wow! Three denials in one sentence! This quote was actually intended to be a retraction and explanation of an earlier quote where she advised women to “get your ****ing ass up and work.” Predictably the retraction made it worse and there was huge blowback. Kardashian quickly responded with another try at a mea culpa. “The advice that I would give is just that having a social media presence and being on a reality show does not mean overnight success," she said. "And you have to really work hard to get there, even if it might seem like it's easy and that you can build a really successful business off of social media. And you can, if you put in a lot of really hard work." What’s the lesson here? Think before you speak? If you live by social media, remember it’s always out to devour you? Our advice – stay away from reality shows.
People, “Kim Kardashian Apologizes for Her Controversial Advice for Women in Business: 'I'm Really Sorry,'” March 28, 2022
CHECK BACK IN A FEW MONTHS
“Ah for the moment!” was what Ann Coolidge-Taylor, wife of Congressman Van Taylor said when asked if she was sticking with her husband who was forced to drop out of his race for re-election. Taylor was discovered to have a months-long affair with Tania Joya, a high-profile former wife of an ISIS fighter. Taylor is not only disloyal and a betrayer of his marriage, but he’s also stupid. (Maybe that’s why he was in Congress?) He not only left a body of proof of his affair, but he also terminated the affair and when Joya asked him for help paying her mortgage, Taylor – a multi-millionaire – gave her only $5000. She went to one of his opponents with the full story. The other interesting aspect of this is that it became clear that congressional staff knew about the affair for months. And, he has three daughters! What could he possibly have been thinking? Ann, get rid of him.
The Daily Mail, “EXCLUSIVE: 'I've got to protect my family.' Wife of Congressman Van Taylor reveals she is sticking with her philandering husband ‘for the moment’ after his steamy eight-month affair with 'ISIS bride,'” March 8, 2022
The BIMBO Memo is a reminder not to repeat and deny a negative word because of how the listener hears words. When you repeat and deny a negative word, the listener is likely to overlook the denial and hear the opposite of what the speaker is trying to say. It’s named for the young woman who was caught with a high profile, but alas married man. She held a press conference and announced, “I am not a BIMBO,” thus causing everyone to think she was.
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