Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Mourning in America

obama, obama jokes, political, humor, cartoon, conservative, hope n' change, hope and change, stilton jarlsberg, umpqua, shootings, oregon, westboro baptist, gun control

As if the people in Roseburg, Oregon haven't suffered enough, Barack Obama and the Westboro Baptist Church both plan to descend on the community to push their personal political agendas.

The people of Roseburg aren't happy about the president coming because of his seeming inability to tell the difference between a coffin and a soapbox. And no one is ever happy to see the morally repugnant Westboro Baptists, especially in light of their gloating tweets that "God sent the shooter." A sentiment, by the way, which the president had previously suggested about the Almighty in the case of the Charleston, SC church shootings.

Hope n' Change has already said a lot about Barack Obama's reprehensible politicking, and has no need to comment on the Westboro Baptists other than to say that, despite our personal lack of religious affiliation, we hope there is a Hell so that they can burn in it.

Unlike the spotlight grabbers named above, there's actually a respectful way for real Americans to show their concern for the families who lost loved ones at Umpqua Community College. Visit this GoFundMe site to donate a few dollars and leave a few thoughts (non-political, please) to let the good people of Roseburg know that we care and share their terrible loss.

BONUS: BUT ON THE WRITER SIDE...

obama, obama jokes, political, humor, cartoon, conservative, hope n' change, hope and change, stilton jarlsberg, left lucy, busty ross, grammarly, language
The good folks at Grammarly.com (a super-duper online spelling and grammar checking service) have done another study comparing the online writings of Democrats and Republicans to see which group has the greater "richness" of language (defined as the greatest number of unique words in online postings).

Their results: Democratic supporters' vocabularies were 22.4% richer than their Republican counterparts. But why?

We're guessing it's because Democrats have been force fed a continually evolving (indeed, metastasizing) word salad from their ideological leaders. Put another way, if brevity is the soul of wit, obfuscation is the soul of liberalism.

What we call "terrorism," they call "man-caused disaster." What we call "abortion," they call "women's healthcare services." What we call "war," they call "overseas kinetic military action." What we call "illegal aliens" they call "undocumented workers and dreamers willing to do the jobs that Americans won't do."  And of course, what we call "freedom," they call a "vast Right-wing conspiracy to suppress women and minorities while promoting income inequality."

So the results of the "vocabulary richness" study strike us as interesting but unsurprising. In the end, it's not the quality of language but the quality of ideas which really matters. And the notion that Democrats might win that competition? Now that's rich.

24 comments:

Mike aka Proof said...

Democratic supporters' vocabularies were 22.4% richer than their Republican counterparts. Why?
That's easy! Democrats are trying to convince their better educated Republican counterparts of their point of view, while Republicans are just trying to use small enough words for most Democrats to understand!

Joseph ET said...

Yesterday, I sent this note to my sister that lives in Roseburg. “President Barack Obama will visit Roseburg, Oregon on Friday. Please get photos of Air force One landing on Roseburg’s 5001 ft. runway.
I want to see if it stops before it crosses NW Edenbower Blvd.
I’ve heard that the locals don’t want him there. Please get photos as they run him out of town.
On the up side, there will be increased business for the Motels, Restaurants and such because all of his ARMED security will need those services. Do your shopping before then.”
They know this is why Obama’s going to Roseburg.
I don’t know how they can keep him out, but it would be great to watch.

Gang of One said...

I came across this pearl of wisdom years ago; it defines the Leftoid penchant for word-twisting and PC-Speak:

The argumentative defense of any proposition is inversely proportional to the truth contained.

TrickyRicky said...

I dunno, I never seem to run of of "rich" words for leftys, kind of like my new hero Carolyn Kellim.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/10/06/gun-shop-owning-roseburg-grandma-gives-completely-unfiltered-answers-when-asked-about-gun-control-including-her-nickname-for-obama/

Geoff King said...

Yeah, the left is great at using colorful words. Such as Professor Anthea Butler calling the obviously ignorant brain surgeon Ben Carson a "coon" for his position on the Confederate flag:
Http://campusreform.org/?ID=6864
Naturally a conservative would never be able to come up with such an eloquent term. Not and still have a career, anyway.

Colby Muenster said...

I can only hope that I may become edumacated and enlightened someday, so I can join the ranks of the progressive hoity-toities and learn to talk meaningless gibberish. Dad used to call it double talk; I guess now that would be two hundred percent discussion or some such nonsense.

O'Liar descending on the unfortunate folks in Roseburg reminds me of that old dire warning: "Don't worry; we're from the Government, and we're here to help you."

bocopro said...

Excerpt from a handout I gave students in my technical writing classes to show the silliness of how extra syllables and big words tend to soften and confuse clear-cut issues:

Shell Shock = Battle Fatigue, Operational Exhaustion, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Constipation = occasional irregularity
False Teeth = dental appliance
Hospital = Health Maintenance Organization
Doctor = Primary Care Manager
Slum = substandard inner-city housing
Broke = negative cash flow
Lies = disinformation
Crippled = physically challenged
Handicapped = handicapable
Deaf = hearing impaired, audibly challenged
Blind = partially sighted, visually challenged
Ugly = appearance deficit
Old = senior citizen
Die = pass away/expire/experience a terminal episode
Poisoned = had a therapeutic misadventure
Traffic = light electronically adjusted, color-coded vehicular control mechanism
Waves = sea-air interface climatic disturbances
Sidewalks = pedestrian expressways
Jail cell = individual aberrational behavior adjustment unit
Brig/stockade = temporary military behavior correctional custody facility
Barracks = temporarily unaccompanied enlisted personnel housing unit
Civilian casualties = collateral damage
Tent = frame-supported tension shelter structure
Military retreat = tactical redeployment
Acid rain = negative ph-contaminated precipitation
Bulletholes = ballistically induced, subcutaneous environmental shield integrity
perforations
nighttime air drop = pre-dawn vertical personnel insertion

Fred Ciampi said...

Wow, Stilt, all them thare two dollar werds are makin' me wunder why ah am a conservative rite whinger in the furst place. Ah rekon thet ah better pull out the dickshunary 'n learn up on some things sos thet ah kin unnerstan obammy wen he comes ta town. All thay learned us in the Marine Corps (pronounced 'core' for the libs out there) wuz to shoot strate. No, whare's mah moonshine?

John the Econ said...

LOL @Stilton, another masterpiece. It really is a shame that Obama and the Westboro bunch couldn't just "take it outside". Making it a pay-per-view event might just go some distance at reducing the deficit.

Re "The Writer Side": Makes sense, since the left is constantly working to change the language and meanings of words and phrases to eliminate practical debate. For example, yesterday we were discussing the new meaning of "gun safety", which the left is now transitioning from traditional meaning of "the safe and secure personal handling of firearms" to "eliminating them".

To Progressives, the best debate is the one that never takes place, and obfuscation of the language is the most effective way to do that.

Bruce Bleu said...

"Brevity is the soul of wit" ergo "loquaciousness is the soul of TWIT"!
Here are some definitions that liberals obviously ascribe to:
Truth- steaming pile of feces
Accuracy- anything that promotes the liberal agenda
Patriotism- doing whatever the hell you are told by the liberals in charge
Peace loving person- someone who murders their own unborn kids and will riot/kill for liberal causes
Fanatic- someone who protects the unborn and VOTES to protest

Cookie said...

Thoreau said, "Our lives are frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify." I couldn't agree more! If only the libs would follow that.
I do have significant religious beliefs and I feel absolutely certain that obummer and the westboro baptists will indeed burn in hell. It sickens me the way our dictator in chief will politicize anything and everything. Frankly, I think the entire state of Oregon should protest his stepping foot in their state.

Judi King said...

A father of a victim of the lunatic in Oregon (a survivor, I believe) has stated that he and his family will not be attending the presidential clown show there. Would that ALL the families did the same so the empty suit can talk to an empty room. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Gang of One said...

A great post on the "language of the enemy", i.e., the euphemisms and debate-cancelling PC words and phrases used by an intellectually bankrupt Left.

Shelly said...

Only a true narcissist like Obama would think he would be welcome in that community after what he did. But, like everything else he does, it is always all about him. He could not care less about those bitter clingers. He's on his way to a fundraiser anyway, so why not?

Colby Muenster said...

Stilton said, "The people of Roseburg aren't happy about the president coming because of his seeming inability to tell the difference between a coffin and a soapbox."

Great minds think alike!

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2015/10/03/135674

But in a way, it's somewhat amusing that O'Liar is jumping on this tragedy parallel with the Westboro Baptist psychos. Makes for a mighty fine visual, Barry. Thanks!

Rod said...

As the mayor of Las Vegas observed way back in his first presidential campaign, after Blow-hard One had insulted the city for the second time: "Mr. Obama is a slow learner". Indeed; in fact "slow" is being pretty generous.

John the Econ said...

Jonah Goldberg got it:

"He's not about to try building consensus on gun violence among people of good faith. He'll take the same approach he's taken throughout his presidency: I mean he'll delegitimize opponents of his sweeping agenda as irrational, self-interested, enemies of decency and progress."

Obama knows he won't get our guns. (Yet, anyway. We're still a few massacres and congressional swaps off from that) Contrary to the narrative, there are not enough gun-grabbers on the far left to make a relevant majority. (Ironically, Bernie Sander's far-left Vermont is pro-gun) But Obama does know he can splinter America a little bit more by playing this, which is what he really enjoys. A divided America plays to the Progressive's identity politics agenda.

Unfortunately, the GOP isn't much better. As we pointed out the other day, there are no simple solutions to the problem. It took a long time to get here, and it will take a long time to get out. Both sides know this, so instead of discussing the real problems and solutions which would make people uncomfortable, the Democrats are going to demagogue the Republicans and the Republicans are going to play defense, and both sides are going to extort money and favors from their supporters in order to feign a fight against the other. This is the inevitable result of a two party system with no way out. Until a viable third alternative arises, it will remain this way, at least until whoever is left capitulates to the caliphate.

Geoff King said...

I'll give you my dry ice when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!

Sorry....just going for a little levity.

Joseph ET said...

Here’s another political cartoon about Obama’s visit to
Roseburg

Larry Sheldon said...

With the funerals for people that died specifically for being Christians, there should now be no questions about the Baptists from Westboro.

Colby Muenster said...

Hoo hah! Unrelated to the threads here, but I just heard that Harry gRied is suing the company that made the exercise device that put his eye out. Isn't that sort of like shooting yourself in the foot, then suing the gun manufacturer? Heck, back when I built houses, I smashed the living crap out of my thumb with a hammer; part of it is still numb 20 years later. Maybe I should sue Douglas Tool! I don't recall the hammer having a warning label on it.

Harry... Sorry you lost your vision, but you are so old, when you were a kid, you had to bang rocks together to make dirt. Did it ever occur to you that this accident may have been YOUR fault?

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Mike aka Proof- I think your explanation makes sense!

@Joseph ET- Maybe B. Hussein will take Air Force One to a bigger airport and then chopper the rest of the way. Or be driven in the Pope's little Fiat, now that it's available again.

@Gang of One- I like it.

@TrickyRicky- I, too, find that Leftists encourage me to use the full richness of language. Especially within the confines of my own home.

@Geoff King- I was both slack-jawed and unsurprised to hear a black college professor calling Ben Carson a "coon," and then claiming that tenure allows her to make any racial slur she wants. If that's true of her tenured white colleagues, I hope they refer to her with the same word frequently and publicly.

@Colby Muenster- Barack Obama is the true poster boy for putting a lot of erudite words into play without actually saying a damn thing. And again, let me point out that I actually like the richness of language when it allows people to use the right words to express ideas with greater clarity. But too often, words are simply used to obscure meaning rather than enhance it.

@bocopro- Good list, and it's just the tip of the iceberg.

@Fred Ciampi- Yeah, it's tough on us dimbulbs who have to try fancy thinkin' without the wordage to do it real good with.

@John the Econ- I absolutely draw moral equivalency between Barry and the Westboro Baptists. There is not an iota of decency amongst the lot of 'em.

Regarding language and it's abuse, surely I'm not the only one sick of hearing John Kerry and the White House speak of seeking "deconfliction" with the Russians. I don't recall ever having heard the word before, and could happily never hear it again.

@Bruce Bleu- I think there's a job waiting for you at Webster's!

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Cookie- Great quote from Thoreau, and one that I plan to chew on a little. Currently, "frittered away by detail" might appropriately be my epitaph.

Regarding Barry and the Westboro crowd, I'm just reminded again that simple words like "decency" and "shame" now seem out of vogue. Replaced, I'm sure, with liberal-friendly constructs like "culture normative behavioral standards" and "socially induced emotive suffering."

@Judi King- I think one or more of the family members of the students who were shot should try taking a homemade clock to their audience with the president, since he finds school safety such a laughing matter.

@Gang of One- That was a good piece. Manipulating language has effects which reach far beyond the merely rhetorical.

@Shelly- I'm sure the good people of Roseburg will at least feign civility toward the president. Either that, or Obama will bring a couple of busloads of fake citizens with him to stage his photo ops.

@Colby Muenster- I hadn't seen that cartoon before writing my piece, but it's a thing of beauty.

@Rod- I genuinely don't believe that Obama ever learns anything. He simply decides that the rest of the world is wrong and hasn't caught up with him yet.

@John the Econ- Jonah Goldberg is exactly right (which is pretty much always the case). Mass shootings are a serious problem and deserve serious efforts to try to find solutions. But neither political party is going to do that.

@Geoff King- Levity achieved!

@Joseph ET- I'm not surprised that a lot of us in the conservative humor arena are going for similar gags. It's just a shame that the Left gives us so much to work with.

@Larry Sheldon- Excellent point. Whatever it is they're shouting about, it's got nothing to do with Christianity.

@Colby Muenster- I still believe that Harry's brother beat the living hell out of him and that the exercise device never came into it. I think Harry is filing the suit to keep the lie alive...and maybe keep his brother out of the slammer.

On the off chance that it WAS the exercise equipment, I've heard different stories about him attaching it to a doorknob or drawer pull, neither of which would be even remotely safe or (I'm sure) advised by the manufacturer.

John the Econ said...

So some poor exercise equipment maker is going to have to eat 5 or 6 figures in legal bills as a consequence of Harry's cover-up. That's entitlement for you.

It's also why we need a "loser pays" legal system.

But on the up side, perhaps there's a right-leaning legal foundation that will help pay for this if it includes discovery looking into Harry's cover-up. That might be entertaining...