We’ve been considering it for a few days now, and it’s with great pride that Philebrity also endorses “WHY CAN’T US?” as the official slogan of Phillies fans during the 2008 World Series, which begins on Wednesday. Why? Because it is a slogan born of long-suffering frustration. Because it lets the world know that while we may not be able to conjugate verbs, we CAN, well, “US.” Because the proceeds from the t-shirt go to the Phils’ fave charity. Because the phrase just captures our inner Frankenstein/Tonto/Tarzan just perfectly. Because here in Fishtown, it’s the most coherent piece of English you’ll hear all day. And at the risk of linguistically slumming here, there is a simple beauty and directness that you just can’t get from saying anything that makes any kind of actual sense. Why can’t us? WE CAN US. This what we’re saying, and we want you to say it with us: WE! CAN! US!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 12:12 pm.