Friday, June 15, 2012
Robert Winter uses "internecine"
I used the word myself recently, in jest, and wondered if it might be sitting anywhere else about the place by way of example and was delighted to stumble across it this morning, in a very well written piece by Robert Winter @ Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. Internecine (Inter - knee - sign). It's a powerful word.
"Today's Herald editorial shows how the sun has set on Teflon John's world. Up to the Teapot Fiasco, he was invulnerable. A mistake made? He boyishly shrugged it off, and we (apparently) forgave him and thought what a refreshing change from the steely (and professional) Ms Clark. Caught fibbing? We accepted human foibles, and waved him on.
Now, with his government in constant crisis, his policies in wreckage, his party riven by internecine dispute about succession, MPs worried about their career prospects after 2014, and the polls falling, the Herald no longer sees the boyish amateurism as attractive. It's become an insulting behaviour, compounded by arrogance and a profound sense of the right to govern regardless of popular concerns. Mr Joyce, nowprimus inter pares amongst the ministerial crowd, is the epitome of this arrogance, and one hears about its ramifications across Wellington and the public service.
How the mighty have fallen. Politics is a hard road to follow."
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39 comments:
Thank you for the plug!
So you used the word in Jest. That is convenient. And not how I read it.
Then, Anonymous, I challenge you to explain your interpretetion. I promise to answer truthfully and fully, as I am wont to do. I'm betting you've got the wrong end of the stick, but there might be others watching, willing to adjudicate.
Let's hear it. You're safe, being anonymous. I have to front up, reputation to up-hold, etc...
So the comment with a blurred photo of councillors was "By late afternoon, tempers fray and vision blurs.
Internecine battles break out. Names are called. I remain aloof."
I believe that it is difficult to interpret this statement in any other way that 'bringing the council into disrepute'.
You posted a picture of your fellow members arguing and name calling each other in a tempered manner and posting it on a public forum. How should I interpret it? Does it suggest disfunction? I am not sure how that is humorous. I did note a clever use of blurred and a blurred photo but that does not present humor to me.
Anonymous. You may not have seen this comment on another thread.
"The councillors in the picture are not arguing or name calling. They are standing in a relaxed manner, amicably discussing this and that. The photo was taken months ago. have you no sense of humour at all? Do you not know what tongue-in-cheek is?"
I'll expand on this for you.
The photo is very blurred. Please look through my blog and see if I post blurred photos ordinarily. I don't. Given that, you might think, there's a reason for that. Look to my caption where I say, "vision blurs". You missed it, but it's a joke - a visual pun. Another clue for you would be the line, 'I remain aloof'. If you think that's a serious comment then I can't really help you much. I'm not a 'remains aloof' kind of guy, as is, I thought, fairly obvious from this blog. I like to get involved. In essence, the photo and caption are a spoof. That you missed it is hardly my fault, Anonymous. They say that explaining a joke will kill it dead. That's proving to be the case alright.
That said, I accept your interpretation as being genuine and your irateness too.
Robert,
Assumptions. Not irrate. You asked I interpreted. And not in an irrate manner.
When you publish a comment as a footnote to a picture the details within that footnote relate to the photo. I believe it common interpretation to accept this photo as containing people that arguing and name calling. The simple fact that they are not could make my interpretation wrong. Simply because you have present it in a bad form. You should be more careful how you present your blogs. Perhaps you should run all blogs through your ES media people.
As I said I understand a clever play on blurred picture and blurred vision. But it doesnt present humour when the serious message is a negative one. ie. Councillors in a photo with a photo footnote suggesting serious argument and name calling.
Let me ask this. Was the name calling done by Council members? Was the "internicine battles" between councillors?
sorry for the mis spelling.
anon - please choose a psedonym, lest you are mistaken for every other anon out there.
robert -The blurred pun was quite obvious, as was your use of hyperbole when using the word internecine. If you had said "not constructive", "..a lose-lose situation" etc. I would still have understood, but it would have been a bit lame. As for the actual circumstances of when the photo was taken, I don't see any relevance.
Thank you, Armchair Critic. Your explanation is accurate. Clearly your and my sense of humour is much alike.
Anonymous. Recently someone made the comment that the more one dissects something, the less sense it makes. I hope AC's pithy assessment helped you. I shouldn't get swept up in quibbling over details, so perhaps this next semtence or two will help.
It's all about intent. If I'd intended to demwan the Council with my photo and caption, you'd be on to something, I didn't, you're not. So to with the post. If I'd meant to belittle the dairy industry and it's people, you'd be onto something. I didn't, you're not.
Hope that helps :-)
I mean 'demean'.
I don't mean to demean :-)
I'm not mean.
I did say I'd answer your questions _
"Let me ask this. Was the name calling done by Council members? Was the "internicine battles" between councillors?"
There was no name calling.
There was no internecine battle (bar this one of course :-)
"Perhaps you should run all blogs through your ES media people."
That's a good suggestion, Anonymous. I took that advice when I first began at the Council and have been under the watchful and intelligent eye of a representative of ES ever since. I check with that person regularly and they keep me updated with their opinion on what I'm posted just as regularly.
Thankyou for clearing that up. As I said I believe my interpretation is a reasonably common one. Even when you explain the humor it still does not stand out. And my immediate interpretation still remains obvious to me. Even though it is apparently incorrect.
I look forward to reading blogs C/o Environment Southland.
I'll put a disclaimer on the caption, Anonymous, in case someone else is perturbed by the alleged humour.
"Every survival kit should include a sense of humour"..author unknown.
Beneath a pic of Robert I would write "What a fuckwit!"
Get my humour?
Nah..my sense of humour is limited to humorous. I'm odd like that.
Suz - you're funny!
Whio - you too!
Are you really RG, I always though that was a bird, or is that godwit. If it is a godwit, does that mean it is a Christian, and if it is a Christian, does that mean it is a fundamentilist, and then using RG's circling technique that must mean that RG is a fundamentilist, good spotting Whio, hey isnt that a blue duck, and doesnt that rhyme with f##k, lets short cut the circling and presume that Mr Whio was referring to himself hence the clever name, good spotting again
Well done, Towack. You've circled the square.
RG a fundamentalist? Does that mean he is fun? Or mental? To use your apparoach Towack. I'll assume he is a fun mental, like the type that lick their van windows?
Schmuck. It's a word I've always wanted to use and today's a day for using interesting words. Rhymes with duck, schmuck!
But let us not descend into invective and vituperation, gentle men. It's a lovely, sunny day and I'm off to the beach with my camera. Bee @ piece.
Fuckwit... Rhymes with Robert. And the opinion of an opinionated southlander would say its a far more more interesting word than schmuck.
You're good, Whio!
Clearly, I've met my wordsmithery-match.
Must away and study harder...
Best you do, fuckwit!
gee, you've been told Robert, guess anon isnt the only coward visitng here.
Now where is that ban button....
hey Whio, you are just a troll, and not even a particularly good one. No wit, a measly hint of intellect and a total of two insults. I suggest you head to another blog, one with quality trolls, and learn your trade. Or just fuck off back to your lair.
Schmuck is a simply magnificent word, only "Shlep" comes close to its brilliance.
I encourage the use of both of them whenever I can, I see this as somewhat a societal duty.
Whio needs to be treated gently, and not ridiculed for his choice of words for "smithing", but, I will say he seems not to understand what rhyming is and needs to apply himself better.
Towack , to wack , to wack off , wanker! While we're talking names
Freedom of speech is what you speak, this blog is my format for now, you don't like it? Fuck off yourself!
Schmuck, shlep, shunda. See what I did there?
Easy now Whio, try to use other words than the eff bomb, it's too predictable.
Schmuck, shlep, shunda. See what I did there?
No not really, but I did spell Shlep wrong, it actually has a "c" like Schmuck.
What a Schlep I am!!
Keep trying Whio!!
Robert, I apologise if you think this person is anything to do with me. I don't condone the language he is using and I don't want to be associated with his pointless foul mouthing. No matter how I felt about your blog I wouldn't behave like that.
Whio are you unwell?
gosh Robert, this might be the first flamewar on your blog.
Whio, there are dark rooms that are brighter than you, there are tides that are less predictable, and your comments match Zimbabwe's currency in value.
Again, you are welcome.
vffff (
Robert,
Hope you have enjoyed your weekend. So what happened to my "good suggestion". You have not put it into practice.
By the way your code of conduct sayes you should avoid agressive or abusive behaviour.
I hope Whio is posting disclaimer captions of humor otherwise you are breaching your Code of Conduct again.
I need to post.... Anonymous uses Leunig.
http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2012/06/09/3363004/Leunig-Tribunal-9-Jun-600x400.jpg
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