[Ads-l] Early QOTY candidate for 2016

[Shapiro, Fred]

Dan is quite right that there is context for this quotation and that it is misleading to leave out the immigration context as many are doing.  But even within the immigration context, Haley's statement omits an important part of American history and her sweeping language ("never," "any," "anything") invites ridicule.  

When the time comes to compile my top 10 quotations of the year, it may be that I will leave this one out because the context is, another way, contradictory: Haley was making a humane point criticizing someone else who was being inhumane.

Fred Shapiro


________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Robin Hamilton [robin.hamilton3 at virginmedia.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2016 1:23 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Early QOTY candidate for 2016

<<

> "We've never, in the history of this country, passed any laws or done
> anything based on race or religion."
>

That isn't the full quote, or at least not the full sentence, and the rest
of it puts it in context. I think it is careless to attribute it to her
without the context.

DanG

>>

Though even with the full quote, Haley seems to have missed the (few?) times
when the USA did restrict immigration based on on ethnicity.

But I'd agree with Dan that the selective dumping on what Haley said is
somewhat unfair-- she's nowhere near Trump's league.

I'm tempted to say, the difference between disingenuousness and outright
lying.

But hey, isn't that what politicians are for?

Robin Hamilton

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