the media wags the dog

[1984]

This from wikipedia on the expression wag the dog with relation to the film of the same name...

"Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail was smarter, the tail would wag the dog." Interpretations differ as to the meaning of this metaphor. Some suggest the dog is public opinion, and the tail represents the media; the dog is the media, and the tail is political campaigns; or the dog is the people, and the tail is the government. Moreover, the expression "the tail wagging the dog" refers to any case where something of greater significance (such as a war) is driven by something lesser (such as a sex scandal).

If I ever get a pet dog, I'd be seriously tempted to call it "Wag". I've no real contribution to make here, but if anyone has an example from their part of the world, I'd be delighted to check it out.

 

[Upchurch]

That expression always makes me laugh because I always think of a "wag" as the acronym for "wild a$$ guess". Mixing the two, you end up with something like the media not only driving the story, but taking shots in the dark about it, too.

 

[Arkan_Wolfshade]

I observe a feedback look with my dog. My dog wags its tail (duh). The more excited the dog gets the more vigorously it wags its tail, until the point were the tail appears to be shaking the dog's rear back and forth.

I also have nothing useful to add to this thread.

 

[Bjorn]

I also have nothing useful to add to this thread.

Neither have I.

 

[HighRiser]

In furtherance of adding nothing useful to this thread, I submit the following;

I know a dog named Wag. She is a very friendly Labrador and (as you might imagine) her tail is constantly in motion. Nothing fragile in Wag's house is placed at tail-level. At least not for long. On a complete aside, Wag's companion is a Bull Terrier with the funniest and most disgusting name I have ever heard of. Soft-Serve.

 

[FreeChile]

This from wikipedia on the expression wag the dog with relation to the film of the same name...

"Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail was smarter, the tail would wag the dog." Interpretations differ as to the meaning of this metaphor. Some suggest the dog is public opinion, and the tail represents the media; the dog is the media, and the tail is political campaigns; or the dog is the people, and the tail is the government. Moreover, the expression "the tail wagging the dog" refers to any case where something of greater significance (such as a war) is driven by something lesser (such as a sex scandal).

If I ever get a pet dog, I'd be seriously tempted to call it "Wag". I've no real contribution to make here, but if anyone has an example from their part of the world, I'd be delighted to check it out.

As a metaphor, Wag the dog is analogous to the metaphor of a servant who has become the master of the house. The servant has taken possession of the running of the house and he wants to control everything there. Unfortunately, once this happens, the servant has established a parallel house, in conflict with the original house. At this point the master would want the servant to go, but he won’t go, because he has become the master. Seems tragic, doesn’t it?

 

[jj]

That expression always makes me laugh because I always think of a "wag" as the acronym for "wild a$$ guess". Mixing the two, you end up with something like the media not only driving the story, but taking shots in the dark about it, too.

I always see it as "scientific wild *** guess" or SWAG.

 

[Nancarrow]

I observe a feedback look with my dog. My dog wags its tail (duh). The more excited the dog gets the more vigorously it wags its tail, until the point were the tail appears to be shaking the dog's rear back and forth.

Surely, the dog and the tail orbit around a common centre of mass?

Which would be somewhere inside the dog's rectum I guess. Rather like the whole of human existence.

It's late, I think I should go to bed.

 

[1984]

As a metaphor, Wag the dog is analogous to the metaphor of a servant who has become the master of the house. The servant has taken possession of the running of the house and he wants to control everything there. Unfortunately, once this happens, the servant has established a parallel house, in conflict with the original house. At this point the master would want the servant to go, but he won’t go, because he has become the master. Seems tragic, doesn’t it?

Sounds like the colleague who works at the partitioning next to mine. She's into spreading everyone elses personal lives around the office. She calls it "networking". The effect is a disproportionate amount of time spent by various employees shifting alliances, swapping shifts, passing on work, and "un-networking".

Relevant to this thread? Perhaps not. But there it is anyway.

 

[David Swidler]

"Soft-Serve." Good grief, that's awful and hilarious at the same time.

 

[FreeChile]

Sounds like the colleague who works at the partitioning next to mine. She's into spreading everyone elses personal lives around the office. She calls it "networking". The effect is a disproportionate amount of time spent by various employees shifting alliances, swapping shifts, passing on work, and "un-networking".

Relevant to this thread? Perhaps not. But there it is anyway.

Quite relevant! In sociological cricles, that would be called an informal organization within the formal one. I wouldn't underestimate its power.

 

[mgidm86]

"Soft-Serve." Good grief, that's awful and hilarious at the same time.

When naming a dog, one should first imagine whether or not they would feel stupid calling its name in public.

If I heard someone at the local park yelling "Come here Soft-Serve!" I think I would be tempted to soft-serve a stone to their head, or sumthin'.

I like to hold the tip of my dogs tail as it wags and watch it swing around like a jump rope.

 

[1984]

I like to hold the tip of my dogs tail as it wags and watch it swing around like a jump rope.

I tried this with our neighbor's cat. It's body don't swing 'round like a jump rope. More like an out of control firehose.