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Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
…if you would convert a man to a belief, the thing to do is not to argue with him but to make him like you. Then he will feel that, because you are a fine fellow, your opinions must have value. This is bad logic but good psychology.
Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
Wear your learning like a watch and do not pull it out merely to show you have it. If you are asked for the time, tell it; but do not proclaim it hourly unasked.
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to Paul Magnussen)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Paul Magnussen
Wear your learning like a watch and do not pull it out merely to show you have it. If you are asked for the time, tell it; but do not proclaim it hourly unasked.
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to Paul Magnussen)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Paul Magnussen
…if you would convert a man to a belief, the thing to do is not to argue with him but to make him like you. Then he will feel that, because you are a fine fellow, your opinions must have value. This is bad logic but good psychology.
L. Sprague de Camp, The Great Monkey Trial
Was it John Dewey or Mark Twain who said ?(something like)
'To say you have taught and nobody learned is like saying you sold but nobody bought'
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to Paul Magnussen)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Paul Magnussen
Wear your learning like a watch and do not pull it out merely to show you have it. If you are asked for the time, tell it; but do not proclaim it hourly unasked.
Posts: 3497
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
In the nineteenth century British parliament, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were arch-enemies. During one contentious session, Disraeli was advocating for a program to which Gladstone vehemently objected. The exchange occurred as follows.
Gladstone, vehemently denouncing both Disraeli and Disraeli's advocacy of the program: "...and furthermore, sir, you shall end your days either on the gallows or of a foul disease."
To which Disraeli, not missing a beat, responded: "That, sir, will depend upon whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
ORIGINAL: BarkellWH
In the nineteenth century British parliament, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were arch-enemies. During one contentious session, Disraeli was advocating for a program to which Gladstone vehemently objected. The exchange occurred as follows.
Gladstone vehemently denouncing both Disraeli and Disraeli's advocacy of the program: "...and furthermore, sir, you shall end your days either on the gallows or of a foul disease."
To which Disraeli, not missing a beat, responded: "That, sir, will depend upon whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Posts: 3488
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
Lord Melbourne served as Home Secretary, and twice as Prime Minister. He was known for adherence to principle, warmheartedness and his ready wit. He was a member of the Whig party. One day during a political crisis he was ascending the steps of the Houses of Parliament while a prominent Tory was coming down.
"Good morning, Milord," said the Tory, "and how is your pot boiling today?"
"i seldom go into the kitchen," replied Melbourne, "but my cook tells me that the scum still rises to the top."
---------------------
For those unfamiliar with British customs, it is customary for coversation to continue, or even to begin while standing side by side at the urinal trough in the men's room. One day Winston Churchill entered the men's room in the House of Commons and encountered Aneurin Bevan, a prominent member of the Labour Party. Instead of making small talk, Churchill went to the far end, as far from Bevan as he could get.
Bevan spoke up, "What's the matter Winnie, not feeling sociable today, are we?"
"No, it's just that that whenever you socialist chaps see something big, you want to nationalize it."
Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
The actress Francesca Annis, on American network TV censorship:
They’re always saying ‘Oh no, no, no, no. You can’t do it like that.’ In the end, they want you to express something quite extraordinary. Here I’m playing a woman who’s totally enthralled, sexually, by this man Cutter. And I have to express it all from the shoulders to the ear lobe.
Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.
Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
And here’s an interesting one, even if you don’t agree with it:
In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore the less it corresponded to reality the better.
When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is to co-operate with evil, and in some small way to become evil oneself.
One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think that if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to Paul Magnussen)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Paul Magnussen
And here’s an interesting one, even if you don’t agree with it:
In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore the less it corresponded to reality the better.
When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is to co-operate with evil, and in some small way to become evil oneself.
One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think that if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.
Theodore Dalrymple
LOOK.
In my study of FASCIST societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of FASCIST propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore the less it corresponded to reality the better.
When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is to co-operate with evil, and in some small way to become evil oneself.
One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think that if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.
Too easy isn't it. Here are the steps.
1. Choose a universal observation which is true of all societies. 2. Choose a target. 3. Insist that the observation only applies to the target. 4. Choose a style of language which you know will appeal to your constituency. 5. Ensure that you flatter the intelligence of your constituency by pointing out the stupidity of the target. 6. (AND THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT) Ensure that you are the epitomy of hypocrisy in your statements. eg.
'In my study of THEODORE DALRYMPLE'S quote , I came to the conclusion that the purpose of HIS propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore the less it corresponded to reality the better.
When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is to co-operate with evil, and in some small way to become evil oneself.
One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think that if you examine MR DALRYMPLE' S ARGUMENT, it has the same effect and is intended to.'
In the much more full and honest article by Orwell he takes great pains to select targets from a wide cross section of the political spectrum. And frankly he attacks this kind of hogwash much more masterfully than I could ever hope to.
But Mr Dalrymple would be hard pressed in his profession if he was an intellectually honest man. Nor would he have as many admirers, people love 'style' (uurgh, this is style!!) over substance.
Posts: 3488
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Examples of good English. (in reply to guitarbuddha)
Dorothy Parker, about the actress Katherine Hepburn: "Last night at the Shubert, Miss Hepburn ran the gamut of emotions from A to B."
Asked about newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst's mansion on the California coast, after being invited to the housewarming party: "It shows what God could have done, if He had money."
The latter kept running through my mind a year ago, as I tramped wearily through mile after mile of marble corridors of the Vatican Museum, lined with centuries' worth of loot.
Dorothy Parker, about the actress Katherine Hepburn: "Last night at the Shubert, Miss Hepburn ran the gamut of emotions from A to B."
Asked about newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst's mansion on the California coast, after being invited to the housewarming party: "It shows what God could have done, if He had money."
The latter kept running through my mind a year ago, as I tramped wearily through mile after mile of marble corridors of the Vatican Museum, lined with centuries' worth of loot.
RNJ
A last sentence of connection and depth! I like it a lot.
What has such kind of crook church to do with a Jesus? After two millenia of hairpulling over crude pretenders´ misuse of his name, the poor guy must long since be bald headed.
... Maybe that´s why he never returned to set things right; not used to appearing in public without long curly hair.
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