Axios, in their article “Exclusive: Hogan predicts Trump will lose GOP stranglehold post-midterms” reported that Hogan said:
"President Trump is the 800-pound gorilla. He's still popular among many segments of the base ... but it's diminished dramatically since the election."
The International Association of Gorillas has long objected to the disparaging use of the term “800-pound gorilla” which is usually expanded to “800-pound gorilla in the room”. It is often used in a simple descriptive way, for example:
“Climate change is the 800-pound gorilla in the living room that the media dances around. But in the scientific community, it's a settled question: 95 percent of scientists believe this is happening with 100 percent confidence temperatures are rising. (www.brainyquote.com/...)”
The association has no issue with this. When it come down to it, if it was literally true that 800 pound gorillas were present in as many rooms as people said they were they were present in more historic situations than Forrest Gump.
The association strongly objected to being compared to Donald Trump in any way, shape, or form.
This is how Wikipedia defines the phrase:
800-pound gorilla" is an American English expression for a person or organization so powerful that it can act without regard to the rights of others or the law.[1]
The phrase is rooted in a riddle joke:
"Where does an 800-pound gorilla sit?" [The answer: "Anywhere it wants to."]
This highlights the disparity of power between the 800-pound gorilla and everything else.
The term can describe a powerful geopolitical and military force, or, in business, a powerful corporate entity that has such a large majority percentage of whatever market they compete within that they can use that strength to crush would-be competitors.
In law, the phrase occurs semi-(in)formally as a characterization of judges vs. courts; as in: "Standard/Court Rule" vs "Gorilla/Judge Rule".[2]
The metaphor has been mixed, on occasion, with the metaphor of the elephant in the room.[3]
Oddly the photo Wikipedia used (right) to illustrate this entry has a caption which doesn’t fit the image at all since the gorilla contentedly munching on some leaves hardly strikes fear into anybody unless they suffer from Pithecophobia.
It is common knowledge that gorillas are among the most intelligent non-human species of primates. Consider, from Wikipedia on their intelligence:
Gorillas are considered highly intelligent. A few individuals in captivity, such as Koko, have been taught a subset of sign language. Like the other great apes, gorillas can laugh, grieve, have "rich emotional lives", develop strong family bonds, make and use tools, and think about the past and future.[68] Some researchers believe gorillas have spiritual feelings or religious sentiments.[12]They have been shown to have cultures in different areas revolving around different methods of food preparation, and will show individual colour preferences.[12]
The gorilla association has long attempted to counter their depiction in popular culture as dangerous villains (image on right). For example, from Wikipedia:
Drawing of a gorilla who has killed a hunter and destroyed his shotgun, as narrated by Paul Du Chaillu, 1861
Since gaining international attention, gorillas have been a recurring element of many aspects of popular culture and media.[101] They were usually portrayed as murderous and aggressive. Inspired by Emmanuel Frémiet's Gorilla Carrying off a Woman, gorillas have been depicted kidnapping human women.[102] This theme was used in films such as Ingagi (1930) and most notably King Kong (1933).[103] The comedic play The Gorilla, which debuted in 1925, featured an escaped gorilla taking a woman from her house.[104] Several films would use the "escaped gorilla" trope including The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942), The Gorilla Man (1943), Gorilla at Large (1954) and the Disney cartoons The Gorilla Mystery (1930) and Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944).[105]
Gorillas have been used as opponents to jungle-themed heroes such as Tarzan and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.[106] The supervillain Gorilla Grodd is an enemy of the Flash.[107] Gorillas also serve as antagonists in the 1968 film Planet of the Apes.[108] More positive and sympathetic portrayals of gorillas include the films Son of Kong (1933), Mighty Joe Young (1949), Gorillas in the Mist (1988) and Instinct (1999) and the 1992 novel Ishmael.[109] Gorillas have been featured in video games as well, notably Donkey Kong.[107]
If Gov. Hogan wanted a more accurate simile to describe Trump’s influence he should have used Godzilla, the enormous, destructive, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. He could have said that Trump is like the 100 ton Godzilla in the room. (Of course I looked up his weight here.)
Aside from having a reptilian brain, Trump also has something else in common with Godzilla. They both had stars for them placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Unlike Trump’s star, nobody ever saw fit to take a sledge hammer to it like they did with Trump’s star (article).
The real 800 pound gorilla in the political room, really gorillas (plural), are the growing numbers of his previous supporters who see him for the Godzilla he is.
The Poll:
These are the people listed as “The 10 Republicans most likely to run for president” (The Hill). Pick the one you think is the most likely to be the GOP candidate or comment if you think it will be someone not on the list.
