According to a reader by the name of Dan Lautenbach, the above quote appears in the new issue of the Atlantic, in an article about the archbishop of Canterbury.
I’m in the process of drafting a letter to Paul Elie, the author of the piece, asking what the big idea is.
As I don’t believe there’s an Ypsilanti in England, I’m guessing that he means us, and I’m wondering if he just needed a town with a funny-sounding Y-name, or if perhaps it was more personal. Did he, perhaps, know of someone who left Yale of Ypsilanti, who complained of our backwater, hillbilly ways?
Is Ypsilanti really the antithesis of Yale?
I think this calls for an investigation… and, quite possibly, an ivy league ass kicking.
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“Some people call Ypsilanti the Wales of the West. I prefer to think of Wales as the Ypsilanti of the East.”
Some people need to leave Yale for Ypsilanti, so to speak.
Who the hell is Paul Elie, anyway?
I just wish my daughter, Siâned, would comment…
That is so weird. I was just talking about a suspicion I had that there was a club of people who either left or got asked to leave Yale–was thinking, yea, of Bush-Cheney. And I was thinking that maybe they had an even fiercer fraternal club than any Ivy League fraternity, promising to keep secrets to the end. Dark secrets. And that would explain the past eight years (in a nutshell).
Now I’m wondering if someone around here left Yale and might be part of that scary club.
Love your new site, btw.
Mark, while you’re writing letters, can you also ask someone for an explanation of this?
Remember when Kerry was running against Bush and you had to decide whether to vote for the skull or the bone?
Has anyone actually visited New Haven?
“Kettle, meet pot”
Ol’ E. Cross:
They are spoofing Andrea Ypsilanti, a German MP and past candidate for PM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Ypsilanti
An “ypsilanti” is a sex act in England. I can’t say which one. It’s very, very bad.
OK, maybe this is the connection… According to the October 6, 2008 issue of the Ann Arbor News, teacher Nina Davis, was recently awarded the Yale Teaching Award. It seems as though one of her students, a LaTisha Campbel, who is now a freshman at Yale, nominated her for the award. Here’s a clip:
New Haven is the home of my ancestors. I have been there, as a child, but don’t remember it. I think all of my unpleasant relations who used to live there have fled to more affluent nearby communities. However, I do believe that Yale is kind of an island in a pretty large slum. No where near as hip as we… really anyplace in that state is suspect for one reason or another. I love the east coast but…
Dan, thanks for that. So do we essentially share a name with Germany’s Sarah Palin? Do we need to add another statue to the base of the Water Tower? Can I still hate Germans? I’m finding it all very confusing. I guess I need some time to work through my emotions on this one.