I have just heard about David Howard, who in 1999 had to resign as Director of the Office of the Public Advocate for the Government of the District of Columbia, because he had used the word "niggardly" in conversation. "Niggardly" means miserly, cheap, and has nothing to do with race. Yet despite this indisputable fact, he had to resign!
If anything ever proved my point that most of the world is in the thrall of emotions and has little truck with observation and intelligence, this must be it.
4 comments:
Eolake,
I love the pics on Domai, but you must be getting enough compliments about those. I would like to add that I actually keep a file with the daily quotes on your site, because they are some of the best around. Please keep up the quotes - and the pics ofcourse :)
Thank you kindly. :)
I actually get a surprising amount of thanks for the Quotes feature. Which is gratifying, since it does not pay the bills, it is just something I want there.
Eolake,
On the world niggardly it should not matter strickly by definition but one does not yell fire in a packed movie theater or "HI Jack" at an airport these days no matter your friends name. Audience is my answer to your question and who better than those that seek an audience, politicans, than to hold to a choice of how something is said instead of what they might have meant.
Poles, politicans, all those in public life live be these days by image. I hate Mr. Bush's politics and work against most of what he wants to put into policy but you have to give him credit for sticking to his path and plowing on in his misery. I was and am a big fan of Bill Clinton, but was most disaappointed when he needed an opinion pole for every move. When finally he stood up and fought his enemy's instead of trying to be cute and acceptable it was a great day.
As the founder of a great site Domai you know audience is key. You even play a joke on those who think you are implying you are dirty by including it in the name of your site. In fact you are using the literal meaning to make the opposing point. Am I not correct.
I was so outraged that I wrote to the Mayor and complained! How dare such ignorance be pandered to by the organisation to which he belonged. I would not resign on principle.
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