Thursday, October 18, 2007

Translating English to Conservative speak

Now I understand why Sean Hannity says the things he says. It's because he has implanted in his ear some kind of version of the Babel fish that translates speech through the prism of conservative movement ideology.

Take a look:

Hillary Clinton says: "I helped to start and support Media Matters and Center for American Progress."

Sean Hannity hears: "Hillary Clinton has bragged that she founded this group Media Matters ... She bragged that she founded the group that John Podesta runs, The Center For American Progress."

Of course, it's interesting to note how the conservative Babel fish works. When Al Gore said. "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet," people with the conservative Babel fish heard "I invented the internet" and assumed Gore's more or less accurate description of his role in legislating the creation of the internet to be false. The conservative Babel fish revealed Gore to be a liar.

In this instance, however, the conservative Babel fish has revealed Hillary Clinton to be a mastermind behind a "shadow government." That Clinton may have been exxagerating her involvement in the origins of Media Matters and the Center for American Progress in order to pander to the crowd she was addressing does not seem to be up for consideration.

What a convenient thing the conservative Babel fish is. It tells you what you want to hear.

1 comment:

Sheldon said...

Thanks HG!

Now I understand what has been happening!

When some commentators said that the 9-11 attacks were blowback from U.S. interventions in the mid-East, conservative Babelfish translated this as:

"America and the people in the Twin Towers deserved to be attacked" And therefore those commentators "hate America"!