Halloween 2019

First photo of the evening. First place winner.

First time seeing a BIG Bow Peep.

See Halloween 2013

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The DIS-Loyal Opposition

The DIS-Loyal Opposition

“We're all islands shouting lies to each other across seas of misunderstanding.”
Rudyard Kipling

This is a political rant. 

It's about how both political sides play the same game opposing one another. And you and I are the suckers.

If you are one of those whose mind is made up, and have certainty that your view is the correct one ... well, that's your problem. No. Really. It's a problem. As such. In itself. Are you used to even thinking at this next level? Conscious of how your thinking itself is framed? 

Life isn't an either, or .. it's both. Some, however, are not disposed by temperament or intelligence to hold more than one idea in mind at the same time. Black or white. Right? Nuance, other points of view. Nah!

You may think that I'm implying that you are stupid. BTW ... You'd only get stirred up if you were. So, are you? Because, if you listen to the political messaging directed at all us stupid heads, it seems to me that those trying to make up our minds for us consider we, the little people, are indeed ... stupid. Or, maybe just easily manipulated.

Regardless of which side of the aisle you support, the prevailing attitude seems to be what's pointed out in that recent book by James Hogan, I'm Right and You're an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up.

It seems that whichever side has our attention, it's always about how the other side is ... wrong, corrupt, unAmerican, vile,  crass, self-serving, pandering, lying, dissembling, treasonous, seditious, fake, smarmy, dirty, corrupt, stupid, wacko ... and so it goes.

You can probably add a few more tasty pejoratives of your own.

And, whichever group is in political power those in the minority oppose them in much the same ways. And, as you can tell if you've been around for a while the opposition is invariably accused of obstructionism.

In the very current mountain of words on the question of impeaching our fearless leader, we get this from a fresh faced legislator of the Democrat persuasion: [paraphrasing] "We don't need to hear from the whistle blower. By releasing the transcript of the call with the Ukrainian President ... Mr. Trump has confessed." Note the use of the term confessed. That's what irks me. Framing the discussion with words which convey the connotation(s) which support your narrative. I don't think Mr. Trump considers the transcript of his call a "confession." He ain't stupid. Or, further, now that the currently disloyal opposition has us convinced that he's a crook, any attempt by Mr. Trump and his administration to not comply — never mind that they may have valid grounds to do so — well, that's "stonewalling".

If you want to see a master class in how modifiers are inserted to bend the narrative in the preferred direction, watch Rachel Maddow. Slick interjection of damning modifiers. Wrapped in a know-it-all delivery style. And, the facial expressions are Oscar worthy.

Wronski ... out.

PS To make my point another way about how words are chosen for desired effect, let me recount an actual situation from my Ad Biggie days. An executive under my supervision drafted a call report of a client meeting. In it he stated, "The client rejected the agency's proposal". Denotatively, correct. Not, however, the right connotation. Choose instead, "did not approve".

Another thing comes to mind. A colleague had to go to Las Vegas to show Colonel Parker [Elvis' iron fisted manager] layouts for an ad we were recommending for the Singer Presents Elvis TV Special. As one of the layouts was being removed from the portfolio case it fell on the floor. Parker: "Leave it there." That, my friend, went well beyond rejection. Contempt, is more like it. Clearly a display of, ahem, his assumed power.