karaoke democracy
n.— «The term “karaoke democracy,” coined by Takashi Inoguchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo, is part of a theory that focuses on the dominance of the bureaucracy in Japanese politics. He describes this relationship in terms of the main menu that appears on the catalogue of songs (issues) on a karaoke machine from which the politician may select one. Even if the politician has no grasp of that song (issue), he or she can read the lyrics that appear on the video screen, follow the melody that comes from the machine and simply follow the lead of the karaoke.» —“Social trust deficit” by Afiya Shehrbano The News (Pakistan) Nov. 6, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Up Your Alley (episode #1504) 07/30/2018: Book recommendations, including a collection of short stories inspired by dictionaries, and a techno-thriller for teens. Or, how about novels with an upbeat message? Publishers... [more]
Piping Hot (episode #1503) 07/23/2018: The game of baseball has alway inspired colorful commentary. Sometimes that means using familiar words in unfamiliar ways. The word stuff, for example, can refer... [more]
Mimeographs and Dittos (episode #1502) 06/24/2018: In this episode: How colors got their names, and a strange way to write. The terms blue and orange arrived in English via French, so... [more]
Spicy Jambalaya 06/18/2018: Teen slang from the South, and food words that are tricky to pronounce. • High schoolers in Huntsville, Alabama, told Martha and Grant about their... [more]
Chopped Liver 06/10/2018: There's a proverb that goes "beloved children have many names." At least, that's true when it comes to the names we give our pets. "Fluffy"... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.