i was surfing the web looking for info on the new ridley scott movie EXODUS GODS AND KINGS and i came on this sentence about the classic cecil b demille movie. 'It’s difficult to underestimate its influence on popular religious/biblical consciousness.'
i just love this sort of statement, variations on which crop up all the time in serious political tv commentary. what it says literally, if you just read it, is something like this: 'no matter how low you make your estimate of the influence of that movie, you probably will be overestimating its influence, because IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERESTIMATE ITS INFLUENCE ON POPULAR RELIGIOUS/BIBLICAL CONSCIOUSNESS.' to borrow a phrase from julia roberts in MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING, its influence is lower than pond scum.
there is a good deal of 'innocent merriment,' in the words of the mikado, to be had from sheer stupidity.
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That reminds me of the oft repeated statement: "I could care less" about such and such!!!!
I'd like to defend "I could care less".
I think it functions as an ellipsis. What's elided is left to the listener. "I could care less(but only if I really worked at it)" or "I could care less (but that would involve infinitesmials)" or "I could care less ..."
The original quote does put me in mind of the great book review putdown: This book fills a much needed gap in the literature.
I'll write this down, for a future opportunity:
"I could care less (but that would involve infinitesimals)"
Attribution to you, David, of course.
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