Just had a dispiriting conversation (sort of) with a friend who, I learn, has a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
I cannot fathom how otherwise linguistically competent people can impute such insane and malicious meanings to Trump’s otherwise reasonably plain words.
I cannot fathom how otherwise linguistically competent people can impute such insane and malicious meanings to Trump’s otherwise reasonably plain words.
There is something opposite to the Principle of Charity at play here—call it the Principle of Malice: when it is Trump, his words are *always* to be taken in the worst possible light, no matter how *wildly implausible*, no matter how much language must be tortured to get there.
My friend is (apparently) absolutely convinced that Trump told people to INJECT DISINFECTANT to cure COVID.
I remember that incident. Yes, there were media sources that CLAIMED Trump had said to “inject disinfectant,” but that isn’t the case.
I remember for years Al Gore got grief for claiming to have “invented the internet.”
It's something everyone knew as one of his famous gaffes.
Except it wasn’t true: what he said was that he took the lead in Congress for funding the “information superhighway”.
Which was TRUE.
It's something everyone knew as one of his famous gaffes.
Except it wasn’t true: what he said was that he took the lead in Congress for funding the “information superhighway”.
Which was TRUE.
Back in the day, I wanted Gore to beat George W. Bush. Today … I’m happy in retrospect it went the other way.
I don’t like Gore. *But*
1 the man NEVER claimed to have “invented the internet"
2 *did* help get the internet to the public
I don’t like Gore. *But*
1 the man NEVER claimed to have “invented the internet"
2 *did* help get the internet to the public
Gore claimed credit for something he actually did, not for something didn’t do.
I *hate* this kind of misrepresentation. I hate it even more when it becomes pervasive in lies told is historical accounts.
I *hate* this kind of misrepresentation. I hate it even more when it becomes pervasive in lies told is historical accounts.
I don’t know how an otherwise SANE person can be objectively OUT OF HIS MIND regarding Donald Trump.
Some days I feel like I’m one of the few people who REMEMBERS that Trump is just an oddly competent doofus, and not, I don’t know, HEINRICH HIMMLER.
Some days I feel like I’m one of the few people who REMEMBERS that Trump is just an oddly competent doofus, and not, I don’t know, HEINRICH HIMMLER.
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