No matter what you think of the government putting Goldman Sachs on trial for questionable investment practices, one thing is for sure: They make for excellent theater. In a widely talked-about moment (or rather, series of moments) from the hearings, Michigan senator Carl Levin referred to an e-mail sent by Goldman Sachs executive Daniel Sparks that called a certain piece of business a "sh---y deal." (As National Public Radio put it, it's a six-letter word that rhymes with "pretty.") Levin turned the off-color phrase into a sort of absurdist mantra, and the constant repetition turned a typically dry piece of C-SPAN footage into an oft-spun piece of tape on all of the cable news networks.
Of course, where there's a meme, there's an Internet remix to go along with it. Online news magazine Slate produced slow rolling, snap-infused remix of the hearing that chops up Levin's profane interrogation of Sparks and adds a whisper track that coos "sh---y deal" and drops a little 2005-era crunk keyboard for good measure. Though Sparks clearly wanted Levin to "slow his roll" during the interrogation, that probably would have only brought down more ire from the Michigan democrat.
Not to be outdone by the Internet, "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart also weighed in on the "sh---y deal" trend bouncing across the news universe. "Looks like Senators McClaskill and Levin are on the potty train to sh---y town!" Stewart exclaimed after a video package, noting that even though Congress is in a partisan stalemate over a financial reform bill, there is still time for "good old-fashioned impotent rage."
While the Slate version of "Sh---y Deal" is pretty good, we're waiting for the remix that kicks it up a notch. So bring it on, amateur DJs of the World Wide Web. Get to it before DJ Steve Porter knocks out the definitive version.