New Orleans 'insurgency'

[Jonathan Lighter]

I thought foolishly that the opening phrase, "We word cranks," would have been plain enough, particularly when I had titled a previous thread, "Word Cranks Pledge Semantic Aid !"

Forgive the following rant, but it infuriates me to think that once again I misjudged the depravity of the human race. Now, as from the toxic mire itself,  emerge schooled individuals so self-righteous and depraved as to assert *seriously* that gangs of armed thugs (or "assholes," to use the gentler term), dishing out violence like breakfast food, are revolutionary idealists. But why my astonishment ?  Pol Pot attended university in Paris.

Yesterday five or six idealists apparently tried to plug eight unarmed contractors who themselves were on their way to plug a levee breach.  (Sarcasm zone ahead : The word "plug" proves that both actions are identical, so really, who's to judge  ?  Sarcasm zone ends.)

I guess you can't make a bomblet without breaking heads.

JL

"Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Mark A. Mandel"
Subject: Re: New Orleans 'insurgency'
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Janis Nihart writes:

>>>

Johnathon

If I had known you were being sarcastic, it wouldn't have bothered me. I
thought you were serious and were really excusing this kind of behavior from
the so called insurgents. There is no neeed to apologize. I'm OK. Really I
can laugh at anything. Like I said, I must have been really tired from all
that is going on in our state and personally with my parents who are in
their seventies and too old to go through this again, I just didn't pick up
on the sarcasm. my fault.Thanks for writing.

Janis

<<<

I didn't see the sarcasm either; I was also concerned. It's sometimes hard
to tell in e-communication, which feels in many ways like face-to-face --
informal, spur-of-the-moment, no need to polish our text -- but which lacks
the intonation, the facial expression, the tone of voice, the phrasing, the
gestures, and also critically the back-channel (I say something, it disturbs
you, I clarify... maybe even before you've said a word, because I see your
disquiet in your expression).

-- Mark


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