bevin Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1174605,00.html Quote: Over the last seven years, the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press has played a game of word association as part of its regular presidential polling, asking, "What one word best describes your impression of George W. Bush?" No options or suggestions are offered. The latest results — from a sample of 710 people done in March — aren't good for the President. Until this month, the word most associated with President Bush had always been "honest." Now the leading answer is [:"red"]"incompetent"[/] (given by 29 people), followed by "good," "idiot" and [:"red"]"liar."[/] "Honest" has slipped to 5th, tied with "Christian. At last the other 50% of the USA voters are beginning to see what the first 50% and the rest of the world saw years ago /Bevin Quote
Dr. Shane Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Out of 710 people 29 described the President as incompetant and this made the news? Can anyone say "bias"? That my friends is spin. Notice this story never made the headlines for the five years that the top word was "honest". Nor should have it since it was probally only 30 or 40 people using that word. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity
Stan Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 I am not a fan of GWB, but these kinds of statements do not solve the problem and do not bring a blessing to anyone. All they do is inflame the viewers. Please stop them, you only hurt this forum. If you want a private forum, invitation only to discuss these things, I would be open to that. Quote If you receive benefit to being here please help out with expenses. https://www.paypal.me/clubadventist Administrator of a few websites like https://adventistdating.com
Dr. Shane Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Well, it didn't inflame me. I got more of a chuckle out of it. I guess I should have put [chuckle, chuckle, chuckle]. Rush Limbaugh uses these same type of polling results to support his positions. But I am not disagreeing with you, Stan. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity
olger Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Quote: Stan Jensen said: I am not a fan of GWB, but these kinds of statements do not solve the problem and do not bring a blessing to anyone. All they do is inflame the viewers. Please stop them, you only hurt this forum. If you want a private forum, invitation only to discuss these things, I would be open to that. Amen. gcw Quote "Please don't feed the drama queens.."
CyberGuy Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 Quote: I am not a fan of GWB, but these kinds of statements do not solve the problem and do not bring a blessing to anyone. All they do is inflame the viewers. Please stop them, you only hurt this forum. If you want a private forum, invitation only to discuss these things, I would be open to that. Stan you should know that the most heated topics are religion and politics. Both generates the strongest feelings. Wars have been fought on those topics as well. Quote Riverside CA
Administrators Naomi Posted March 31, 2006 Administrators Posted March 31, 2006 Why can't both topics be discussed with out hostile words and feelings? As a species when will we mature enough to discuss heated topics based on issues and facts, excluding emotions? Quote If your dreams are not big enough to scare you, they are not big enough for God
Nicodema Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 As far as I'm concerned there's nothing inflammatory about the word "incompetent". It is an assessment of how well someone has carried out a job or task, nothing more, nothing less. If you said I was "incompetent" at brain surgery, you'd be right -- of course, that's why I don't presume to hang out a shingle and DO brain surgery, either ... hmmmm ... Quote "After such knowledge, what forgiveness?" -- T.S. Eliot
Moderators Bravus Posted March 31, 2006 Moderators Posted March 31, 2006 Yes, I think the idea that Bush has carried out the responsibilities of the president incompetently is actually relatively uncontroversial: there are plenty of Republicans who might still think the Iraq war was a good idea but would concede that it was not prosecuted well. Maybe 'liar' is a more inflammatory, and a more subjective, term. Quote Truth is important
Nicodema Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Well as Shane is fond of pointing out, "liar" can be construed as an indictment of motive. (Though it is also simply an assessment of communicative content -- one who tells a lie is commonly referred to as a "liar" just as one who gives weather reports is commonly referred to as a "weatherman"). But "incompetent" is definitely objective in the sense that it doesn't even remotely invoke motive or intent whatsoever. It's a completely "exterior" assessment. I could say a roofer has done an incompetent job on the roof without so much as raising the question whether he MEANT to botch it up or not. Quote "After such knowledge, what forgiveness?" -- T.S. Eliot
Moderators Bravus Posted March 31, 2006 Moderators Posted March 31, 2006 On the 'liar' point, though: http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2006/03/31/bush_lies/ Yes, it's from Salon, so the facts may be spun, but the facts are there: Bush has repeatedly (and recently) said Saddam did not allow the UN weapons inspectors into the country, when it is a matter of documented fact that the inspectors were in the country, doing their work, and remained in the country until the Americans warned them to leave so they could start the invasion. I don't know what you call this, if not lying. Quote Truth is important
Nicodema Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I don't understand the need to validate the dogmatic falsehood of others that because something appears on Salon.com it must have been "spun". When someone holds an accurate awareness of something so that they don't feel the need to waste time entertaining "alternative explanations" (e.g. LIES, hello ...) .. does that constitute "spin"? I don't think so. This is a post-modern semantic trap, the notion that no one can have an accurate view of something (unless of course their view conforms to the view the spin-masters want us to have.) The ACTUAL spin-masters play the ends against the middle on that. FIRST they pretend to decry post-modernism itself so as to deflect their self-serving application of it. Then they put forth THEIR view as the correct and accurate one, the "definition of reality" as it were. BUT then they invoke post-modernism against those who have an accurate view of something if that accurate view does not serve their agenda. When any attempt to point out that their view is inaccurate and THEY are the ones doing the "spinning" comes around, they plead things like "fair and balanced" and essentially invoke the post-modernist concept that since (underlying assumption) "no one can know for sure" it is best to have a "fair and balanced" presentation -- which essentially translates to yes, let the lies be presented alongside the truth. ANYTHING to get that spin, those lies, out there to infect vulnerable minds!!! Frankly, I'm sick of the Orwellian double-talk, and sick of liars and con-artists running things and getting to say how everything will be done and how everything will be perceived. They do NOT speak for God. They are NOT on God's side. I am so sick of listening to their lies!!! And it's only going to get worse!!!! Quote "After such knowledge, what forgiveness?" -- T.S. Eliot
Moderators Bravus Posted March 31, 2006 Moderators Posted March 31, 2006 True, but if I don't include the disclaimer, the content of the story will be completely ignored and the whole argument well be 'oh, but what do you expect, that's from Salon'. Without buying into the assumption myself (on that point I agree with what you said above), I just find it simpler as a pragmatic matter to try to skip that step... Quote Truth is important
Nicodema Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 TOTALLY understood. It's like picking your battles ... no time to waste on arguing what fork to use for the salad when there are bigger fish to be fried ... Quote "After such knowledge, what forgiveness?" -- T.S. Eliot
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