Slog - Comments on A Philosophical Question Inspired by This Season's Project Runway

Comment by Joanie

Joanie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:48:05 -0800

Joanie doesn't think there's anything wrong with third-person references.

Comment by leek

leek — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:48:50 -0800

I think it's because it implies overweening conceit.

Comment by David Schmader

David Schmader — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:54:20 -0800

2: Definitely, but why should one person's overweening conceit make others want to die?

I imagine it has something to do with reflexive empathy, the sense that "If that were me caught referring to myself in the third person, I'd want someone to kill me immediately..."

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:55:32 -0800

Because it makes you sound more important than you really are.

You should watch; after just two episodes this is shaping up to be an EXCELLENT season. Much, much better than S4. Better good designers, and better bad ones too. Even yamface showed sparks of real personality last night, when he was mocking Stella's lust for leatha.

Comment by robo

robo — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:56:09 -0800

Ask Elmo.

Comment by brett

brett — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:56:49 -0800

i blame bob dole.

Comment by Ziggity

Ziggity — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:59:41 -0800

@3: It's not that it makes others want to die, but that it makes others want to kill the self-referencer.

There is something empathic going on, though. I refer to myself as I because I consider my consciousness inextricably tied to my physical body. Referencing myself in the third person implies a split there - the actions of my body being somehow independent of a conscious narration of those actions. There are overtones of conceit because it makes one's life into what sounds like a narrative - a novel, or a newspaper article, for example. It presents one's self as a set of immutable facts - no changing the mind or tastes of he who refers to himself in the third person.

Comment by David Schmader

David Schmader — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:02:39 -0800

5: Fucking Elmo is one of the worst offenders. In my day, Muppets talked like people, not retards. In my dreams, Grover runs over Elmo with a steamroller and feasts on the remains.

4: Good to know, and to clarify, my refusal to watch this season is really just a refusal to watch this season live. It's all stashed in my TiVo and perhaps I shall revisit...

Also, I just realized that the only people who can refer to themselves in the third-person with impunity are CAVEMEN.

Comment by Non

Non — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:04:57 -0800

Schmader I love that you occasionally interact and adress points in the comments. Love all ups on you.

Comment by leek

leek — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:05:46 -0800

And the multiple-personalitied, as Sybil.

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:07:40 -0800

Doesn't Hulk get all third-person on our asses?

Comment by lostboy

lostboy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:08:23 -0800

And Jim Darkmagic.

Comment by David Schmader

David Schmader — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:08:32 -0800

(Thanks, Non. My pleasure.)

Comment by David Schmader

David Schmader — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:09:52 -0800

JTC's right: Full exemption for the Hulk.

Comment by Aaron Huffman

Aaron Huffman — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:12:50 -0800

I think the empathy thing is a big part of it. Hopefully it's as painful for him to watch as it is for us. Referring to yourself in the third person is bad enough, but when coupled with calling yourself "Suede," it's practically a hate crime. Against Suede.

Comment by monkey

monkey — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:16:34 -0800

I can deal with Swede's third person addiction but what I have the hardest time with is Yammy's insistance on ended EVERYTHING with "licious".

Comment by chops

chops — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:22:35 -0800

the third-person is just dandelion.

what would happen to suede if everyone just referred to him all season in the second person? "hey you."

Comment by Meagan

Meagan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:23:04 -0800

But isn't the true story of last night's episode Stella's atrocious asymmetrical Donna Martin Graduates/Tawny Kitaen/Skanky Santa's helper lace up "cocktail" "dress"? WTF, Klum!

Comment by Jimmy Jackhammer

Jimmy Jackhammer — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:26:33 -0800

Referring to one's self in the third person becomes exponentially more annoying when coupled with spitting, squinting-with-intensity proclamations of rocking this or having rocked that. In the third person.

Comment by robo

robo — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:26:47 -0800

Suede's dress was really cool though.

And, no, I'm not Suede writing this. Otherwise I would have said, "And, no, Suede is not Suede writing this."

Comment by lostboy

lostboy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:27:37 -0800

chops @17, "hey you" and "hey Suede" would both be second person.

And if Suede referred to himself with pronouns like "he" or "him," it would still be third person (and might sound even more obnoxiously regal).

Comment by brandon

brandon — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:29:22 -0800

personally, i think renaming oneself is a much more egregious crime against humaninty. renaming oneself after what is arguably the most heinous permutation of leather -- or perhaps more favorably, a middling britpop act from the early 90s -- is even more unsettling.

Comment by SDizzle

SDizzle — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:36:21 -0800

Yeah, "-licious" is WAAAAAY more annoying than the third personism.

Does anyone else desperately want the leather-lover to get kicked off? It seems like all she does is whine about how the challenges are not her style.

Comment by Big Sven

Big Sven — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:36:53 -0800

I'm thinking of renaming myself Naugahyde.

Comment by robo

robo — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:37:34 -0800

Suede's real name really is Suede. His mother's name was Velvet and his father was Leather, so it just made sense.

Comment by Julie

Julie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:42:13 -0800

"-licious" is such a ridiculously transparent attempt at being the new "fierce." "Fierce" was annoying enough, but "-licious" is terrible and just makes Yammy seem like a total fame whore.

Comment by frumpy

frumpy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:42:51 -0800

The royal "we". Pffft.

Comment by Big Sven

Big Sven — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:43:53 -0800

Does anyone else desperately want the leather-lover to get kicked off?

I haven't seen last night's episode yet- DVR'ed it to watch with the kids tonight- but if the "leather-lover" is Stella, then yes I want her kicked off.

No- scratch that. I want 99942 Apophis to land directly on top of her at ~10kps, instantly rendering her and the surrounding terrain to approximately 500m out back into their superheated gaseous molecular components.

She's easily the most annoying candidate since that the skinny brunette "brilliant" lawyer who couldn't design her way out of a paper bag...

Comment by kerri harrop

kerri harrop — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:49:27 -0800

I am still reeling from Tim Gunn's usage of "caucus" last night (You will have 30 minutes to caucus with your models).

I love leather lady. She has seen some shit in her time, you can tell.

Comment by chops

chops — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:50:29 -0800

tim gun has appropriated 'hot mess' for himself.

that's tranny-dandelion-icious, if you ask suede.

see you at red lobster.

Comment by lostboy

lostboy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:50:33 -0800

Big Sven @28, nice imagery.

Comment by Bizarro

Bizarro — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:55:14 -0800

Bizarro thinks Bizarro am also referring to me in person three.

Comment by kid icarus

kid icarus — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:05:01 -0800

This thread is so much better than the actual show.

Comment by leek

leek — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:20:51 -0800

I'm fine with Cher, I mean Stella, remaining for entertainment value, but I'm with Meagan... last night's dress was an atrocity that did not belong in the top three at all.

I woulda put Keith's parachute-y concoction in the finals instead.

Comment by hohoho green giant

hohoho green giant — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:25:43 -0800

WTF? Stella is the first of these contestants whom I'd invite to a party. The Chan Marshall lookalike is the second.

Also: Suede's third-person references are a problem because his birth name is "Bruce."

Comment by leek

leek — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:28:51 -0800

P.S.: Cuteness! I'd get it on with Prince William too.

http://www.bravotv.com/blog/thedish/2008/07/wes_and_daniel.php

Comment by Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:41:41 -0800

@34: I think a more fitting name is Cheroin. Is it just me, or is it fucking weird that Blayne de Soleil has crows feet at 23? Just askin.

Comment by montex

montex — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:51:30 -0800

Suede's head look like a pregnancy test. He's definitely this year's Ricky. I just hope someone can make him cry!

Comment by UNPAID BLOGGER

UNPAID BLOGGER — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:52:24 -0800

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned perhaps one of the funniest moments last night:

Mr. Tanfastic's monologue about Stella's family, friends, and pets being comprised entirely of leather, intercut with her incessant whining about wanting only leather materials.

And when she called him out on it, best line of the night:

"I'm sorry, Leatherface."

Comment by bigfragel

bigfragel — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:03:56 -0800

"it looks like a pterodactyl from a gay jurassic park"

Comment by Original Monique

Original Monique — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:22:19 -0800

Agreed Schmader, the 3rd person reference is annoying. And my new phrase:

"yam-colored hate crime against taste"

Comment by Original Monique

Original Monique — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:23:59 -0800

@myself..."new favorite phrase"

Comment by me

me — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:02:02 -0800

I like this season much more than last season. Constestants are more interesting and the models are more stunning, frankly. Love the lea-thuh lady.

Comment by Jimmy

Jimmy — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:40:23 -0800

Jimmy wonders how everyone can possibly forget Jimmy the original 3rd person talker from Seinfeld...I guess Jimmy is relegated to the 1990's. :(

Comment by PPP

PPP — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:46:40 -0800

> Why is referring to yourself in the third person so repugnant?

Undeniably, there's no problem when Japanese girls do it Japanese, though...