March 14, 2006
"We just want..."
In the newspaper today, they quoted George Bush saying, "We just want people to come home." It seemed a silly thing to say, at first. Then I thought to myself, what if it wasn't George Bush who said it? What if it was someone I respected, or even someone I had never heard of before? Instead of seeming awkward or silly, I might go so far as to appreciate a sort of eloquence in it's simplicity. Clearly perceived stupidity is self perpetuating. Perhaps it is wrong. Then again, having wrought it upon himself, does Bush not deserve the prejudice?
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1 comment:
When you say what if--my answer is that the context is different.
Since the context is different, necessarily, the meaning is different. So it's not like someone can just lift a line, place it in another context, and expect it to do the same work. If we imagine a leader of a dislocated country saying that about her people, we can try to appreciate the deep hurt and tears in their families, economy, and society... if we imagine a butthead saying that in a sarcastic way, the mafia is on speed dial. :)
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