"staged"

Tue Aug 7 16:35:11 UTC 2012

Well, no matter how we *rationalize* what we see (and I believe we all
concur as to what the writer meant to say), the real issue is why on earth
she used the word "stage."

It wouldn't even occur to me to describe the incident of MacArthur and the
reporters as "staging a story." I find that utterly misleading and
factually wrong.

Of course, it might be the result of simple carelessness or, as John
suggests, an error for "stage-managed" (which would be only slightly
better, IMO).

But we should be aware of the possibility that a new (and weirder) meaning
has evolved, including the possibility that "stage" is now being seen as a
synonym for "stage-manage." (To me, to "stage" in the relevant sense is to
create falsely (you know, like the moon landing), but "stage-manage" is to
manipulate (the actual details of a performance or the like). ("The
senator's speech was carefully stage-managed: no Confederate flags were
allowed on the podium.")

I think it's of interest because of the postmodernist confusion (or
affectation) that nothing is ever what it appears to be, no way no how, and
that the rulers of the world fool us (but not the postmodernists) at every
turn.

JL

On Tue, Aug 7, 2012 at 11:39 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "staged"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I read it to mean that the stories were stage-managed, not the landing
> itself.
>
> I believe the reporters were at MacArthur's Command Center, where the
> information would be heavily controlled. The reporters could only report
> what they were told. They wouldn't actually see much.
>
> DanG
>
>
> On Tue, Aug 7, 2012 at 8:40 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
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> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: "staged"
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > I thought of this, but even "stage-managed" seems a little too strong:
> >
> > "Stories were stage-managed. For example, journalists were invited...."
> >
> > To me, to "stage-manage" the landing for the press would rule out fake
> > tanks, but it would imply, say, specially impressive but unnecessary
> > activity where the journalists would be sure to see it. It implies
> > manipulation of the actual story ("event") rather than the way the event
> > will be reported, which is clearly what the writer wants to say.
> >
> > In this particular case, the whole idea seems to be confused. What is
> meant
> > is something like,
> >
> > "In various ways, journalists were encouraged by the military to report
> > stories in the most favorable light."
> >
> > But either way, "staged" and "stage-managed" are not usually synonymous.
> >
> > My 2011 post showed a blurring between "staged" and "posed."  As
> indicated
> > there, the claim that the Iwo Jima photo was either "posed" or "staged"
> or
> >  for the camera is simply false.  (It irritates me because that
> > quasi-conspiratorial claim has been frequently repeated and accepted as
> > true.)
> >
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 10:36 PM, Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Baker, John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
> > > Subject:      Re: "staged"
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > My guess is that "staged" here is a mistake for, or used as a shortened
> > > form of, "stage-managed" (AHD:  to direct or manipulate from behind the
> > > scenes, as to achieve a desired effect; orchestrate), implying that the
> > > correspondents' reports were meant to be seen as independent writings,
> > but
> > > were in reality set up to say exactly what MacArthur wanted them to
> say.
> > >  If this is correct, there would be no implication that the Inchon
> > landing
> > > was less than bona fide, only that the four correspondents' accounts of
> > it
> > > were untrustworthy.
> > >
> > >
> > > John Baker
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf
> > > Of Jonathan Lighter
> > > Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2012 6:05 PM
> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: "staged"
> > >
> > > I raised the issue of the meaning of "staged" last year. Here is
> another
> > > case.
> > >
> > > According to The Korean War: An Encyclopedia_ (Garland, 1995, p. 270):
> > "As
> > > the war continued to worsen for the U.N. forces the Army desired...to
> > > control what was reported. The military staged some stories. At the
> > Inchon
> > > landing, MacArthur invited four correspondents as his personal
> > guests...to
> > > relay the military's official version of the landing."
> > >
> > > What the...?  To me this can *only* mean that the Inchon landing was
> > > planned and carried out solely for the benefit of the four
> > correspondents,
> > > with the additional likelihood (like the "staged" Moon landing) that
> what
> > > was happening was not entirely real (maybe fake tanks were used) or the
> > > whole operation was designed entirely to deceive.
> > >
> > > What the writer means to say, however, must be that "The military
> > > carefully managed the news it released to the press."
> > >
> > > Very different, if you ask me.
> > >
> > > So what's the deal with "staged"?
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> > >
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> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
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