Figures of Speech Served Fresh

Quote:  "The Illegal Alien Anthem."  Columnist Michelle Malkin.

Figure of Speech: tapinosis (tap-in-O-sis), the nickname put-down.  Also epideictic rhetoric, the speech of tribal identity.

A group of Hispanic music stars have recorded "Nuestro Himno," a Spanish version of the national anthem.  The anti-immigrant crowd has labeled the song with a  belittling nickname called a tapinosis ("demeaning").

A national anthem is the ultimate tribal language.  Aristotle called this kind of rhetoric epideictic, or "demonstrative."  It’s the speech of sermons, funeral orations, and patriotic songs.  Demonstrative rhetoric states a group’s values and helps define who’s in and who’s out of the tribe. 

So you can understand why some patriots might object.  Singing the national anthem in Spanish is a contradiction in terms.  Literally.

Snappy Answer:  "Pero no nos ocupemos más de este hija de mala madre."