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Comment: The entire politics sections is WP:UNDUE weight given to one person whom this phrase may apply to. This phrase has existed much longer than this span, and is already suitably discussed on wikt:heads I win, tails you lose, as Wikipedia is not a dictionary. Utopes (talk / cont) 14:01, 12 August 2024 (UTC)
Heads, I win; tails, you lose is a phrase and rhetorical strategy which implies that someone has either an unfair advantage in a competition, or that someone has been cheated out of a fair competition.[1] In either case, it is often used to sew doubt that one's opponent is able to beat them without engaging nefariously in competition. This notably has often been employed by American President Donald Trump to cast doubt on elections and information about his political opponents.[2][3]
Origins
editThe earliest iterations of the phrase can be traced to the mid 17th century and was used as a comedic device in plays.[4] The phrase in its modern language and usage can be found in a mid 18th century play, while dictionary definitions of the phrase existed in 1892.[5] In comedic settings, the phrase is typically used to point out a flaw in someone's argumentation.
Uses
editPolitics
editUS President Donald Trump, for whom the phrase has gained popularity in recent years, often uses the strategy to cast doubt onto his opponents, both in elections and contests, as well as in criticisms of the achievements of others. Trump originally used the strategy when his television show The Apprentice failed to win any Emmy Awards, saying the awards show is "a con game" in the mid 2000s.[6][7] He would go on to cast doubt on the 2016 Republican Party Primaries, and then the General Election once he was the party's official nominee. Trump would again use the strategy in the lead up to the 2020 Presidential election, and escalated his accusations of rigged elections before the 2024 Presidential election.[8] He has also utilized the strategy in discussing job statistics during Joe Biden's administration, saying "[t]hey’re fixed numbers. They’re rigged numbers. Everything about them is rigged, from the elections to the economy."[9]
US Senator Mitch McConnell has also used the strategy when describing Democratic congressional members' attempts to impeach President Trump.[10]
Popular culture
editHeads I Win, Tails You Lose is a 1981 Italian film titled after the phrase.
Heads You Win–Tails I Lose is a song by The Beach Boys where the phrase is altered to describe the situation of the speaker of the song. Also in music, the 7th track in Ratt album Detonator (album) is titled after the phrase.
References
edit- ^ "Heads-i-win-tails-you-lose Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary". www.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ Yourish, Karen; Smart, Charlie (2024-05-24). "Trump's Pattern of Sowing Election Doubt Intensifies in 2024". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Trump's politics? Heads I win, tails you lose". Chicago Sun-Times. 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ Tréguer, Pascal (2021-04-24). "'heads I win (and) tails you lose' | 'cross I win (and) pile you lose'". word histories. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Brewer's: Heads I Win, Tails you Lose | Infoplease". www.infoplease.com. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Trump's pattern of sowing election doubt intensifies in 2024". The Business Times. 2024-05-26. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "The Apprentice". Television Academy. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Analysis Shows Trump's Escalated Talk of a 'Rigged' 2024 Election | Common Dreams". www.commondreams.org. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Trump's politics? Heads I win, tails you lose". Chicago Sun-Times. 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ AFP News Agency (2020-02-05). "Heads we win, tails you cheated" says McConnell ahead of impeachment vote | AFP. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via YouTube.