Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wise Words About Shifting Definitions from Jay Tea
On Rewriting the Dictionary
Smear, according to one dictionary:
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation"
Smear campaign, according to the dictionary:
An attempt to ruin a reputation by slander or vilification, as in This press agent is well known for starting smear campaigns against her clients' major competitors. This phrase was first recorded in 1938 and uses smear in the sense of "an attempt to discredit" or "slander."
Smear, as defined by various and sundry leftists:
To expose someone's own words and deeds in an attempt to present an accurate portrayal of that person.
Examples:
The Swift Boat Veterans For Truth "smeared" John Kerry by exposing his fabrications, misstatements, and exaggerations about his service in Viet Nam -- most famously, the "Christmas In Cambodia" fairy tale.
Right-wing blogs "smeared" Amanda Marcotte, the brief in-house blogger for the John Edwards campaign, by reprinting her own words, in full context, for all to see.
Right-wingers routinely "smear" Bill Clinton by pointing out that, by his own admission, he raised his hand in a legal proceeding, swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and proceeded to lie his ass off to protect himself from embarrassment and financial culpability -- an action that resulted in his impeachment and disbarment.
Republicans regularly "smear" Democrats by taking the Democrats' stated positions, policies, and notions and comparing them with those of our declared enemies -- and noting striking parallels.
Critics of Al Gore "smear" him by pointing out that his home consumes far, far more electricity than the average person's, even when scaled up to reflect the size of his mansion.
I can add nothing to this penetrating analysis. Tea goes on, however.
Smear, according to one dictionary:
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation"
Smear campaign, according to the dictionary:
An attempt to ruin a reputation by slander or vilification, as in This press agent is well known for starting smear campaigns against her clients' major competitors. This phrase was first recorded in 1938 and uses smear in the sense of "an attempt to discredit" or "slander."
Smear, as defined by various and sundry leftists:
To expose someone's own words and deeds in an attempt to present an accurate portrayal of that person.
Examples:
The Swift Boat Veterans For Truth "smeared" John Kerry by exposing his fabrications, misstatements, and exaggerations about his service in Viet Nam -- most famously, the "Christmas In Cambodia" fairy tale.
Right-wing blogs "smeared" Amanda Marcotte, the brief in-house blogger for the John Edwards campaign, by reprinting her own words, in full context, for all to see.
Right-wingers routinely "smear" Bill Clinton by pointing out that, by his own admission, he raised his hand in a legal proceeding, swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and proceeded to lie his ass off to protect himself from embarrassment and financial culpability -- an action that resulted in his impeachment and disbarment.
Republicans regularly "smear" Democrats by taking the Democrats' stated positions, policies, and notions and comparing them with those of our declared enemies -- and noting striking parallels.
Critics of Al Gore "smear" him by pointing out that his home consumes far, far more electricity than the average person's, even when scaled up to reflect the size of his mansion.
I can add nothing to this penetrating analysis. Tea goes on, however.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 9:07 PM 
