James Bond carried a license to kill. The grifter was a target—one whom any operative seeking to earn the glory of The Party effectively possessed a de facto license to kill
Sorry, I can't stop. Hers's a quote from another 1990 movie (Miller's Crossing - great movie): It's Gabriel Byrne's character talking to Albert Finney: "She's a grifter, just like her grifter brother. They probably had grifter grandparents and someday they'll each spawn little grifter kids." 1990 was the re-birth of the term grifter.
Very well written TES. Here's a crazy thought: is it possible the 1990's increase in the usage of the term Grifter was due to the movie "The Grifters", with John Cusack and Angelica Houston? The movie came out in 1990 and that's where the uptick starts in your chart. I had never heard the term before that movie. That was a pretty good movie.
Hmmm. I referred to the administration of the last 4 years as "The Grifter & The Whore". Although I very much doubt that either of them was administering much of anything.
This. "The word has been re-adapted by global socialists for similar employment today, most often in biased political and economic contexts, highlighting individuals who engage in discourse which is not favored by The Party. The implication however, remains the same—the term grifter is assigned by apparatchiks of The Party to identify anyone who has been designated as a target for justifiable harm, for the glory of both assailant and Party alike."
Haven't had a chance to read the piece deeply and thoroughly yet but had to comment before-the-fact on the beauty of this last paragraph. If you were looking for a perfect, "tl/dr" that paragraph does the trick.
Sorry, I can't stop. Hers's a quote from another 1990 movie (Miller's Crossing - great movie): It's Gabriel Byrne's character talking to Albert Finney: "She's a grifter, just like her grifter brother. They probably had grifter grandparents and someday they'll each spawn little grifter kids." 1990 was the re-birth of the term grifter.
Very well written TES. Here's a crazy thought: is it possible the 1990's increase in the usage of the term Grifter was due to the movie "The Grifters", with John Cusack and Angelica Houston? The movie came out in 1990 and that's where the uptick starts in your chart. I had never heard the term before that movie. That was a pretty good movie.
Hmmm. I referred to the administration of the last 4 years as "The Grifter & The Whore". Although I very much doubt that either of them was administering much of anything.
Interesting! Thanks for the post.
It is a good reminder that certain human/societal behavior never changes.
This. "The word has been re-adapted by global socialists for similar employment today, most often in biased political and economic contexts, highlighting individuals who engage in discourse which is not favored by The Party. The implication however, remains the same—the term grifter is assigned by apparatchiks of The Party to identify anyone who has been designated as a target for justifiable harm, for the glory of both assailant and Party alike."
Haven't had a chance to read the piece deeply and thoroughly yet but had to comment before-the-fact on the beauty of this last paragraph. If you were looking for a perfect, "tl/dr" that paragraph does the trick.