Word Routes
Exploring the pathways of our lexicon
Sarah Palin, from Pit Bull to Dead Fish?
When Alaska Governor Sarah Palin burst onto the national scene less than a year ago, she made a memorable impression with an animal-related witticism. In her speech accepting the vice-presidential nomination at the 2008 Republican National Convention, she asked, "You know what the difference is between a hockey mom and a pit bull?" The answer, of course, was "lipstick." Now, as Palin exits the political stage (at least for now), she has again used a metaphor drawn from the animal kingdom.
When Palin unexpectedly announced her resignation from the Alaska governorship last week, her hastily arranged press conference was full of rather perplexing turns of phrase. (I'm still trying to work out her basketball analogy.) But one part of her announcement may end up becoming lodged in our collective memory:
Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up," but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. And a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and "go with the flow." Nah, only dead fish go with the flow.
John Dickerson of Slate judged "only dead fish go with the flow" to be "a welcome addition to the political phrase book." But much like the line about hockey moms and pit bulls in the Convention speech, Palin's "dead fish" metaphor was not original to her. In fact, it has a history in English usage going back to the early nineteenth century.
The earliest example I've found of the "dead fish" imagery is from an 1826 issue of a British publication, The Catholic Miscellany and Monthly Repository of Information:
The Rev. Mr. Daly, of Powerscourt, a bible crusader of some celebrity, and who prefers an itinerant mode of life, to the quiet, unostentatious discharge of his pastoral duties at home, reminded his hearers of an old saying, that "live fish swim against the stream, while dead ones float with it."
(Catholic Miscellany, 1826, vol. 6, p. 71)
Note that in 1826 this was already considered "an old saying," so earlier examples can surely be found. Note also that the speaker is using the metaphor in the course of a sermon. Nineteenth-century variations on the "dead fish" saying were primarily used in religious contexts. Thomas Whittemore, editor of The Trumpet and Universalist Magazine, used the expression frequently in his publication, beginning in 1830:
Dead fish go with the stream, live ones go against it.
(Thomas Whittemore, "Reply to Dr. Ely," Trumpet and Universalist Magazine, May 22, 1830, p. 186)
For Whittemore and other religious figures, the figure of speech was a useful sermonizing tool for encouraging believers to avoid mindless passivity. Better to emulate the striving, passionate vitality of the live fish, they suggest. And in the Christian context, a piscine metaphor might carry extra rhetorical weight, since the fish (or Ichthys) has long been a symbol for Jesus Christ.
Whittemore wrote of dead fish going "with the stream." Palin's version, with flow instead of stream, appears to be of a modern vintage, only dating to the late twentieth century. This is not too surprising, since the colloquial expression "go with the flow" (meaning 'to conform') is not very old — attested since 1956, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. "Only dead fish go with the flow" thus takes the old Christian adage and modernizes it with a rhyming colloquialism. This version has been floating around since at least 1989, when Bobbie Louise Hawkins used it in her collection of stories, essays, and memoirs, My Own Alphabet.
For Palin, the "dead fish" saying may have had particular resonance in keeping not only with her fishing background but with her religious background. (Compare two other evangelically tinged expressions recently used by Palin: "I know that I know that I know" and "If I die, I die" — discussed by Mark Liberman on Language Log here and here.) That resonance was no doubt lost on many listeners and pundits, who were busy trying to figure out the unstated reasons behind Palin's surprise resignation. If Palin manages to find a second life in politics, we may discern great significance in this moment when she decided not to "go with the flow." Otherwise, Palin may be remembered more as a dead fish than a pit bull with lipstick.
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Comments from our users:
As for Sarah, I'm fascinated by people's reaction to her. Because her use of language is unique--especially for a politician--she is an apt candidate for an article on usage, just as any other public figure would be, such as the baseball player Yogi Berra. "You can observe a lot just by watching" he famously said.
Another forum on communications examined the CNN interview of her publicist, who was clearly unaware (from her NY location) of Sarah's announcement and gave unprepared remarks. In choosing to analyze that response, particularly the use of the word "literally," many commentors saw a bias. Does bias mean that coverage must be only positive or neutral or absent?
Zimmer's last line here is a clever amalgam of two of her famous quotes; not a predictor or slam. It's all on how you see it, eh?
I think if we were more like fish, we'd be able to decide whether it was time to hold our position, swim upstream or go with the flow.
What good is animal-related witticism if there are no animals left to reference? Perhaps this is the most compelling argument for right-wing environmental conservation? Or the preservation of pit-bulls at least?
Obvious social commentary is reflected in the responding blog patch, which indicates that such ironies are held close, considered refreshing, colorful and preferred over inquiry, which should be avoided or canceled as the case may be.
As always, I hope that commenters can keep the discussion civil and on-topic. Please keep partisan commentary to a minimum!
it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up," but that's the worthless, easy path;
that's a quitter's way out.
I have no idea what she's talking about in the first part of this statement, other than making it clear she isn't finishing her job as governor unlike every other governor in the US -- but amazed that she then says
"that's a quitter's way out."
Geez, I thought that is the path she chose...
Sarah P. is a woman who has been ruthlessly attacked, over trivia, which trivializes every thing she may want to say or do. I think she will make a fortune on speaking engagements around the country. And, she can speak her mind in her own way. She knows she has become a magnet for ridicule and she doesn't care for it, especially when it touches on her family.
If she soars like an eagle, I'll cheer for her. IF she comes down with a thud, I'll be sad for her. In either event, she will have had her own voice and an opportunity to set a few things straight. I want her to have a platform from which to speak. And, to become acquainted with the citizens of this country without cruel attacks on her Alaskan lifestyle. Many in our country have lifestyles that I fail to understand. It is not ridiculed or woven into anyone's personal vendetta against a cause celeb. Sarah Palin had to get off the political merry-go-round to be free of all labels. Let the real Sarah Palin go out and become herself.
I totally agree. I also think it was a bad idea to endorse some of the jabs by playing along on SNL. She also made comments during speeches that were not conducive to creating an image of a competent, steadfast, and influential leader that she needed. I believe this is in part a result of her naive misunderstanding of how viscious the media can be mixed with a poor public relations campaign from her party.
I am a west coast woman who spent ten years in Seattle before returning home to California when my husband retired. I learned that the PNWs (Pacific North Westerners) have a culture of their own which I learned to admire. Different doesn't equal stupid or dumb. Our two sons opted to remain up there seeing no reason to go back to CA. We visit often and already see a bit of that in the three grandchildren now there. Hard to define, but we know it when we see it. Hats off to all who know who they are and go about the business of life not having to make unnecessary apologies for themselves.