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May 20, 2005
Oh, John.
I remember about 2 years ago, as the Democratic Presidential Primaries were getting started, Howard Dean was on topic all the time, talking about things I cared about and John Kerry was, well, kinda in his own world. I would get emails from Dean saying "It's time to get the UN involved in Iraq, before we are perceived as an occupying power" and Kerry would have an email saying “Save the Pell Grant!”
I’m still subscribed to all those lists and today I got a flashback from those days.
From MoveOn.org: Subject “David. This is it.” So topical they don’t even have to say it’s referring to the fight to preserve Senate rules.
And From JohnKerry.org: Subject “Fun New Merchandise for Democrats!”
John, John, John.
Posted by dme at 03:32 PM | Comments (1)
May 16, 2005
"the", "a" and the difference between symbols and things.
I've been hearing this on the radio for a few days and, outside of all the huge issues involved, there is one curious small one.
Isn't there a big difference between the Quran and a copy of the Quran, and the toilet and a toilet?
If you use “the”, then the sentence is symbolic.
“George Bush flushed the constitution down the toilet.”
If you use “a” then the sentence is factual, and the act is possibly symbolic.
“George Bush flushed a copy of the constitution down a toilet.”
Or possibly he just brought it into the men’s room for a little light reading and it slipped out of his hands.
Anyway, there is a difference between “the toilet” and “a toilet” just like there is a difference between “the moon” and “a moon” with one small exception. “The moon” is a specific moon and “the toilet” is not any toilet, but a metaphor for disrespectful disposal.
So what does it mean that the media is mixing these up? I think it’s more than just sloppy, but I’m not sure what it is.
Update: I had a chance to check my copy of Newsweek for the actual original wording. " ... interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Qur'an down a toilet and led a detainee around with a collar and dog leash." It gets worse after that.
And Newsweek is still hosting the story, unedited. Imagine that.
Posted by dme at 12:26 PM | Comments (1)