Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]

Sat Jul 17 23:50:56 UTC 2010

Below is part of a private exchange between Bill Palmer and moi, for the
edification of anyone who would be edified.
DAD

Subject: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]

Ah, you are skirting, here, the principles of the Danielian Axiom of Human
Metamorphosis. First formulated while the formulator was having what can
only be described as a who's-on-first conversation with a brainless twit
from the IRS, and then perfected over some forty years of observation around
the world, the Danielian Axiom of Human Metamorphosis states that:

Any time a human being is elected or appointed to government service, his
brains turn to shit.

This also applies, to a greater or lesser degree, to those who aspire to
elected or appointed government service.

I know, I know, I must have just offended like three-quarters of the list
who are/have been/know someone dear in government service. But if you think
about it, and if you examine your heart of hearts, you will know it is true:
working for the government changes the way your brain works, and not to the
good.

So, yes, to your point, Republicans and Democrats alike are subject to the
Danielian Axiom of Human Metamorphosis. But, I contend that Republicans are
the true villains because they are ideologically false.

As you point out, a Republican will preach to you about family values and
then get caught in a public bathroom/with a hooker/picking up boys/etc. A
Republican will preach to you about small, controlled, balanced-budget
government, then send the deficits into the stratosphere. A Republican will
preach to you about individual liberties, and then tap your phone/hack your
computer/requisition your library take-out records. A Republican will preach
to you about the evils of homosexuality, then take off on a vacation with a
male prostitute. Et cetera and so forth. So this, in, admittedly, very brief
summary, is why I figure Republicans are the worst of everything
moral/ethical.

Democrats do the bad stuff too but are much less likely to be hypocritical
about it. A Democrat who gets caught with a hooker has probably gone on
record saying it should be legal (or has at least not published tirades
against it). A Democrat will be more likely to (i) vote for gay rights and
(ii) be openly gay. A Democrat is much more likely to say, "Well, yes, we
are going to have to raise taxes", while the Republican says, "Read my lips:
no new taxes" - and then we get new taxes. Democrats tend to get themselves
into political trouble - and/or not get elected in the first place - because
they are more inclined to tell it like it is, especially when "like it is"
is bad news. If you see what I mean.

My conservative friends say I have a different belief system from theirs.
That is incorrect. Correct is: they have a belief system, I do not.

I have a "let's think about it" system. This system is (i) fairly typical of
many Democrats I've encountered and (ii) one reason Democrats are a less
cohesive block than Republicans. You get a few hundred Democrats (ex:
congress and senate) sitting around thinking about stuff and they are going
to come up with lots of different conclusions. Republican don't think; they
knee-jerk react. This is why, for example, Republicans are virtually 100%
against abortion, whereas Democrats are split and tend to waffle on the
issue. In fact, this is why Democrats, as a party, tend to waffle in
general: they (we) think too much.

Looking for linguistic relevance here, lest anyone wonder, we have: use of
language to fool people, and the greater likelihood of Republicans to use it
thus.
DAD

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Palmer [mailto:w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net]
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 3:21 PM
To: dad at POKERWIZ.COM
Subject: Re: Re: Whilst

Dave,

Excellent catch on the "during"...just exactly the kind of weasel wording
I'd expect on someone of his ilk.

Republicans, to me, are totally as crass, dishonest, corrupt, philandering,
and whatever else, as Democrats.  I don't think this sort of thing is a
respecter of party affiliation.  But what's amazing, in the best example
ever of a Charlie Brown/Lucy holding the football routine, Rep's will call
themselves "family values", and all the synonoms, and people buy it...no
matter the David Vitters, Larry Craigs, Foley (in FL), ad nauseaum.
Countless examples still have not demonstrated to the "values" voter that
Republican doesn't necessarily mean saint.

Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:22 PM
Subject: Re: Whilst

>
>
> And did you notice he said he was a Marine "during" Vietnam, not "in", as
> misspoken by that guy in Massachusetts (don't remember his name and don't
> feel like looking it up). I wonder if that was part of a cascade effect,
> or
> if he goes around saying "during" normally. I thought the rifle was cute;
> no
> use wasting a thousand words when one picture will do. OTOH, he said, "we
> are Republicans, so we are better than that." I've always found
> Republicans
> to be the worst of everything moral/ethical. But I guess he doesn't think
> so. (I thought he said 5 billion. No?)
> DAD
>
>
> If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> Of
> Bill Palmer
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:59 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Whilst
>
>
>
> [OT] Linguistics aside, it's just a very arresting commercial. I don't
> know
> about y'all, but I certainly do want a well-armed ag commissioner in my
> state.
>
> Since I'm already off-topic, $5 million seems like a pretty picayune
> budget
> for the ag commissioner in a  state like Alabama.
>
> And another thing (since Dale brings it up and includes dog tags in his
> campaign graphic, and as a retired military officer I can say this ...we
> have gotten to the point that
> military veteran = selfless saint, personification of honor and virtue.
> Military personnel come out of the human race like everyone else. (Still
> though, I wish more members of congress & the administration would have
> served, so they would have some idea of the effects of their actions.
>
> My apologies for the rant.
>
> Bill P
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Wake" <dnwake at GMAIL.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 11:16 AM
> Subject: Re: Whilst
>
>
>>
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
>>
>> Listen to the way this guy from Alabama says "why".
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQdTgkY321s
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jul 16, 2010, at 20:20, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>
>>> ---
>>> ---
>>> ---
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> I looked up "whilst" in the "MacMillan Dictionary for Children" that
>>> I just bought (I'm collecting dictionaries).  It does not contain
>>> the word "whilst".  Only "while" and that in verb form as well.
>>> (Does whilst have a verb form too?)
>>>
>>> Interestingly every word that starts with "wh" is given a first
>>> pronunciation of ~hw and a second of ~w (except those pronounced as
>>> ~h, as in who).  I never hear ~hw in USA.  I don't say ~hw so that
>>> may have something to do with it.
>>>
>>> Imagine "whoa" as "hwoa"
>>>
>>> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
>>> see truespel.com phonetic spelling
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----------------------------------------
>>>> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:11:25 -0300
>>>> From: dad at POKERWIZ.COM
>>>> Subject: Whilst
>>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>>>
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>> -----------------------
>>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>> Poster: "David A. Daniel"
>>>> Subject: Whilst
>>>> ---
>>>> ---
>>>> ---
>>>> ---
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> A while ago, TZ and somebody - don't remember who - had a tiff
>>>> about whether
>>>> Americans say whilst. TZ was saying they do not. I agreed (quietly
>>>> - I
>>>> didn't write anything) at the time, thinking it mostly a Britism.
>>>> Well,
>>>> immediately thereafter I started hearing whilst all over the place on
>>>> American TV shows. I thought: hmph. But then I thought: a lot of
>>>> writers for
>>>> US TV are Brits and Canadians as are many actors in the US. So
>>>> maybe there
>>>> was dialect leak going on, with American actors saying Brit/
>>>> Canadian-written
>>>> lines, or Brit/Canadian actors saying whilst and not knowing
>>>> they're not
>>>> supposed to. I was satisfied with that hypothesis until the other
>>>> day I was
>>>> watching CNN and the interviewee, the District Attorney of some
>>>> Podunk
>>>> county in Ohio, said whilst. So now I'm in a funk and don't know
>>>> what to
>>>> think. Maybe he is another sleeper spy who missed the ESL class on
>>>> while/whilst and thus gave himself away, like when Tony Franciosa
>>>> said
>>>> loo-tenant instead of leff-tenant and gave himself away as not
>>>> being a Brit.
>>>> DAD
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
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