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Juan Cole
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The problem with this poster is that this was most likely said in jest. Mencken was no fan of democracy, referring to the masses as the Booboosie. He had a great wit, but he was no man of the people.
The quote is self-evidently in jest! And….?
Does it mean what I think it means, or did “get it good and hard” carry different connotations back then?
“Getting it good and hard” is sexual innuendo. The implication is that the common people will get screwed over, and when it happens it will be their own fault.
This very much ties into the main story (in my view) of the day. A few hours ago the Egyptian Parliament was dissolved. I knew from the beginning that this move towards democracy, towards transparency, towards something different in the middle east was a facade. I went into print with as much on this forum a little over a year ago. link to juancole.com
(see my comments). There will be no change without ideological cohesion. And as long as the United States is a superpower, and therefore meddler in chief, there will be no true ideological cohesion (because there is no chance of a mere open ideological discussion). The middle east will continue to get it “good and hard” (unfortunately) for the foreseeable future.