Was reading the Age Review section and came across a choice word in Scott Burchill's review of Al Franken's Lies and the Liars Who Tell Them [which I just might have to read]. As there has been some mention of Fox news recently, I thought I might fling this word into the mix, because I think it's lovely. The word is belligerati and it refers to the rabid hysterical a-holes of the Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter ilk. I really like this word a lot. I never liked "ideologues" because I felt it gave their babble more import than it rightly deserved. But "belligerati" hits the right note. I think it's rather clever actually. I think the implications of it have the power to diminish any cred these people might astoundingly have. You see, to my mind, "belligerati" will identify these pundits as a glamourous elite 'set', who exist in their own rarefied world, and who probably have soirees all the time where they swill champagne and congratulate one other on their recent heights of belligerence - "love your work, dahling". I think "belligerati" might prompt a significant shift in attitude. It will box them up. It will remove them from "relevance", or, at least, that's what -ati has tended to do in the past, eg. "the [g]litterati are out of touch, glib, flip, etc. and provide nothing of substance to society". It will dilute any individual flair or vigour into a bland group identity. I think it's quite powerful, so let's irresponsibly bandy it about. Yay belligerati!