Republicans Need Cuckoo part II

[Chris]

Glenn Beck makes bizarre statement that the earthquake is divine or cosmic retribution against Japan for "the stuff they're doing", whatever that might be. Plus idiocy by other public figures.... not all of whom are Republicans.

[Hobbes]

My interpretation is that he values people's finances, particularly those who play the markets, more than human lives of typical people. To say that the human toll was "thankfully" greater than the financial certainly shows that in his mind the financial toll on everyday people is not as important as those who might have to sell their third home or sell their luxury car.

To my mind, the financial toll is also a human toll. People are losing their jobs, businesses, and livelihood. This isn't what he was concerned about either-he was concerned with the markets. While I don't believe for a second he is happy people died, he did show that he thinks money is more important than people and their lives. It is disgusting, though not as bad as you made it out to be.

That's fair enough, suiyuan. I think you stated your interpretation well. That's just not how I, personally, viewed the comments. I didn't watch the whole show though, and I don't know much about this person, so maybe I would have taken it differently if I had other information.

Your interpretation was that he thought "the human toll was 'thankfully' greater than the financial". If that was rephrased as "the financial toll was 'thankfully' less than the human" would it change the meaning for you? I don't know for sure if it would for me, but I think it might.

Example 1: If I told you that my older son had broken his leg in an accident, but that my younger son had "thankfully" only suffered an ankle sprain, I think it would convey a different message than if I told you that my younger son had gotten an ankle sprain but that "thankfully" my older son had broken his leg.

To me those two statements are different, but I understand that you may not agree and that it's a matter of personal interpretation.

Example 2:If you already knew that my older son had broken his leg, and then you asked me about my younger son, and I said "Well, thankfully, he only got a sprain", would you then believe that I cared more about my younger son than about my older son?

My reading of Kudlow's comment was that a terrible tragedy had happened in terms of human life, and that when the question was turned to the economic impact his view was that [a terrible human tragedy + a minor economic tragedy] was a better outcome than [a terrible human tragedy + a terrible economic tragedy].

Example 3: To put it in a different context (while staying in the realm of the IP forum), let's say this thing in Libya ends up in a worst case scenario, resulting in even greater human suffering than we're seeing now, but that things in Tunisia turn out better. If I wrote that we could be grateful that Tunisia didn't turn out as bad as Libya would you assume that I cared more about Tunisia than Libya? Maybe that's how you'd interpret it, but if so you'd be wrong, because if I were to say that, all I would mean is that the total amount of suffering was less than it could have been if things had gone differently.

Anyway, that's how I see it. As I said, I agree that it's a matter of personal interpretation, and if I were already pre-disposed to thinking this Kudlow guy was a jerk (as opposed to having no opinion about him one way or the other), then I might have taken his remarks differently.

Cheers,
H

[Vorkosigan]

Simple version: He just mixed up a line. No big deal, really.

[Jaboney]

I'm with Hobbes on this, but Chris' interpretation does make for good comedy (unsurprisingly).

[suiyuan31]

Anyway, that's how I see it. As I said, I agree that it's a matter of personal interpretation, and if I were already pre-disposed to thinking this Kudlow guy was a jerk (as opposed to having no opinion about him one way or the other), then I might have taken his remarks differently.

I knew nothing about the guy at the time and had never even heard his name. I did a bit of research and he has said idiotic things before and believes idiotic things, such as GW Bush is the greatest economic mind of the 21st century, lol. I also could only find one "apology" where he only twittered that he flubbed the line. That may be true, but for me, if you flub a line like that it might be better to give a more heart-felt kind of apology. Express how you really feel about the human toll...express more clearly what you were thinking. I don't understand why he hasn't/can't. I truly want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but he is not helping himself.

And Hobbes, you proved that sarcasm is a really poor form of communication! There are people here who would say such things and since I usually don't pay much attention to who posts what, I had no idea you weren't serious

[Chris]

His words may have come out wrong, and it may well be that he didn't mean to trivialize the loss of life. But it sounds to me like a classic Freudian slip, which when combined with things he has said in the past, makes it appear as if he actually values the financial markets more than human lives.

Of course, now we have slime like Beck and Limbaugh joking about the tragedy being divine retribution on the Japanese for being good, industrious, environmentally responsible people, whereas some others have said this was God's punishment for Pearl Harbor (as if Hiroshima and Nagasaki weren't enough).

[Chris]

Michigan governor slashes corporate taxes but raises taxes of the little guy, while also slashing education.

Republicans live in backward-land.

[suiyuan31]

I don't really know where else to post this. Now I don't really have anything against Boehner, but I really wish he would stop with the crying face. To much cry face and people are going to start think you are cracking up....America doesn't need that kind of cuckoo right now.

[Dr. McCoy]

It looks like he lost his tan.

[suiyuan31]

It looks like he lost his tan.

You know, you may be onto something. I have never actually seen him cry with the tan. It's quite possible he has seasonal affective disorder.

Maybe I should start a poll: Which is better, tanned Boehner or crying Boehner?

I think the answer is clear. Tan if it stops the crying face.