...Amazin' how fast that notion springs to to the Lefty/mediabot mind when the non-native speaker didn't sneak in from that worker's paradise South Of The Border; the instant example being the shrill indignation over BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg's well-meant but inept assertion that "I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don’t care, but that is not the case with BP. We care about the small people."
Looky here, it stung, but the man is clearly struggling with synonym-laden English, which he speaks clearly enough but without idiom. The tenor and tone of the entire statement make his intentions clear. And you can hear the sound-bitten press slaver when he steps on his own drill, too.
Meanwhile, in Congress, they're calling for BP CEO Lamar McKay to resign -- or even eviscerate himself. What, right there on the beach, adding a bitta biohazard to the oil-globs? You keep it classy, Congress.
The oil spill is a big problem. The flood of BS from politicians and reporters may, in the long term, be an even bigger one.
The media is just demonstrating their concern for the little guy when they stand up to big businessmen like him.
ReplyDeleteThe joke was always, "what do you call someone who speaks 2 languages--bilingual; what do you call someone who speaks 3--trilingual; what do you call someone who speaks only one--American"!
ReplyDeleteWe take great pride in our ignorance.
Amazing the amount of grief the
ReplyDeleteman gets ... an American CEO
standing up for "the little guy"
would be celebrated. Someone working
through American synonyms gets
castigated. Or, they want to do
something that sounds like that.
Anon, Don
Both interpreters and multi-linguists have a hard time. As witness nothing more esoteric than that plainest of Commandments, "You shall not murder."
ReplyDeleteWhich has become "Thou shalt not kill," a mistranslation that covers much more territory, completely misses the point of the instruction, and causes no end of trouble for decent folk.
I can forgive BP the "little people" comment - but BP as B.H. Obama's greatest contributor? Never.
Stranger
My problem with the whole dog-and-pony show was DEM CONGRESSMEN lecturing BP about "irresponsibility".
ReplyDeleteIf Tony had actually owned a set, he'd have told them that any member of that political party lecturing him on responsibility after all that they've done to jack up the national debt and crash our economy is like Michael Jackson telling people not to molest kids.
But he's British, so no one expects him to have a set. Damn shame to see how that once-mighty empire has allowed itself to be neutered by it's liberals. We Americans might want to heed the warning signs.
The US Congress is the greatest threat to the nation at this time, an even greater threat than Obama and company. They could stop him if they simply would, but instead they try to out do him in idiocy.
ReplyDeleteThat was a shameful response on the part of the media to misinterpret the meaning of the man's remarks like that. For the sake of looking sappy, they are willing to provoke international ill will and misunderstanding. Shame and disgrace upon them!!