Giant sucking sound
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The "giant sucking sound" was United States Presidential candidate Ross Perot's colorful phrase for what he believed would be the negative effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which he opposed. The phrase, coined during the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign, referred to the sound of U.S. jobs heading south for Mexico should the proposed free-trade agreement go into effect.
Perot ultimately lost the election, and the winner, Bill Clinton, supported NAFTA, which went into effect on January 1, 1994.
The phrase has since come into general use to describe any situation involving loss of jobs, or fear of a loss of jobs, particularly by one nation to a rival. For example:
- A European Union representative spoke of worrying "about the giant sucking sound from Eastern Europe;"[1]
- An op-ed writer opined that "the Mexicans... are hearing 'the giant sucking sound' in stereo these days—from China in one ear and India in the other.[2]
- A columnist used the phrase "That Giant Sucking Sound" to introduce a comment about a 34% slump in employment in the U. S. airline industry. [3]
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ Landler, Mark (2004), "Hungary Eager and Uneasy Over New Status," The New York Times, March 5, 2004, Business, p. 1
- ^ Friedman, Thomas L (2004), "What's That Sound?," The New York Times, April 1, 2004, editorial section, p. 23
- ^ Sharkey, Joe (2005) "Memo Pad," The New York Times, June 28, 2005, Business section, p. 8: "THAT GIANT SUCKING SOUND—In a stark reminder of the harsh personal toll of the airline industry's slump, the government released figures showing that employment at the major carriers has fallen 34 percent during the last four years...."
