Hello Iran, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany...yes I said Iran...I'm big in Iran this week apparently...and also hello to Indonesia, and in particular the Indonesian Foreign Minister Mr Marty Natalegawa...
On behalf of all Australians who give half a damn, I apologise for the grossly intimidatory, bullying and cynically manipulative conduct of our Foreign Minister Bob 'Skeletor' Carr re the recent (and now notorious) late night interview on Channel 10 (I think) with Bob Carr quite literally 'standing over' Mr Marty Natalegawa...(why do you/we need to apologise?-Ed)...I'm getting there...
Mr Carr knows damn well, and deliberately chose to manipulate, the strong Social and general Diplomatic conventions that directed Mr Marty Natalegawa to be supportive of his host, particularly when that host, that clown, Bobo the Clown, dragged him in front of a camera.
Even I know that there is a cultural paradigm that exists in Indonesia, indeed Australia, and generally in diplomatic circles, that it is an act of basic politeness and respect to not contradict your host.
I don't think it's inappropriate to suggest that it is a fundamental courtesy to not criticise or contradict your host in their own home.... you wouldn't do it to your friends at a dinner party.
Mr Marty Natalegawa is to be congratulated for negotiating his way through that interview with the poise that he did.
Mr Bob Carr should take his thuggish tactics and sanctimonious gibberish (his pointless repeated references to the Classics, mythology etc) into the Cabinet Room and leave it there...A rabid drover's dog could be Foreign Minister in your stead, champ, and the world would think Australia no less barking mad.
Whenever I am feeling a little bit down I scroll through my 'mind tapes' to those hilarious episodes of rank BoBoisms...(BoBoisms...hehehe-Ed)... where Mr Carr's indignant and dismissive responses to perfectly reasonable questions expose him for the flat-wicket bully that he is.
He is all sickening smirk and self-satisfaction when he feels in control, but either very aggressive or just refuses to answer when he doesn't like the subject matter...for example, the hilarious incident on the ABC's Q&A programme where he did exactly that...didn't like the question; refused to answer it; and demanded interviewer/host Tony Jones move on.
But I digress: as this is the 200th post, part II, The Reprise, I choose to indulge in the witty word play that I promised in a recent post... it's my blog and I'll try if I want to...
Words can be extremely manipulative yet enlightening, deceitful yet descriptive, clarifying yet confusing.
By asking three questions I am going to describe to you something in the known universe. I will even give you the answer to each question first...that answer is 'No'...(geez, you sound like Kevin Rudd-Ed)...so, three questions.
1) Is it black?...to which you answer of course, No...Question two...
2) Is it white?...the answer...No...and finally,
3) Is it a horse?...No.
So it is not black, it is not white, and it is not a horse...What is it? I'll give you to the end of this post to figure it out if you haven't already...(oo, oo, I know-Ed)...
Now if I may indulge in some more very average poetry about the English language.
A bow in a bough
A cow with a cough
When truly though
Is enough enough?
Pigs through and through
With their snouts in the trough
Living high on the hog
And the rest live rough.
This is just a brief illustration of the vagaries of the English language, and what I can remember off hand of a poem I wrote a long time ago that I now can't find... how many different meanings does the word 'bow' have?... to be bent; to bend forward in reverence; a weapon to shoot an arrow; a decorative knot in a ribbon; to yield; a violin bow; the arched front of a saddle (look it up in a dictionary, there's heaps of them).
There are approximately ten sound variations (pronouncings) of the 'ough' letter combination... This is a fine example of the unrelated intricacies of English that makes it so difficult to learn as a second language... how the heck do you teach someone the rules when there are generally more exceptions than examples.
That is why I am trying to put together a 'jokey' English language learning resource/book of poems and short stories that highlight these many and various disparities of my mother tongue.
And because this is the 200th post, Part II, I will leave it at that... alright, yes, you got me, I just really wanted to have a go at BoBo Carr for his regrettable and yet unforgettable performance in dragging a senior visiting diplomat away from his dinner and out in front of a camera on a cold wet night...way to go Uncle BoBo, you have made us all so very proud...who would blame the Indonesians for thinking us all a pack of arrogant tools?
And the unilateral axing of cattle exports at the drop of a hat...and now organising an 'Asylum Seeker' deal with New Guinea that clearly affects Indonesia without bothering to tell them...
How are we meant to engage with Indonesia in a relationship based on respect and co-operation, when we as a nation, well at least our illustrious leaders, behave in such an arrogant, self-important fashion.
And the answer to the quiz is......drum roll please........ a Zebra..... what is not black, not white, not a horse...it is a Zebra.
There is no real point to that other than to illustrate how manipulative language can be if you so choose.
I use this to emphasise my personal position that I take with this blog, namely I am not out to manipulate or trick anybody...I take very seriously the idea that the truth is powerful enough and needs no embellishment or manipulation.
In contrast I refer to the incident where former Premier Mike Rann was 'snouted' with a rolled up magazine at a public function by a parliamentary worker's angry husband, where the allegation was of an affair between Mikey boy and the worker...it's what you do with a dog that's got on the sofa...you remonstrate with a whack on the snout with a rolled up newspaper..."Down sir, off my wife!"
When confronted by the media with the question "Do you know the man who hit you?", Mr Rann replied "I've never met that man before in my life"... whilst this may have been true, he certainly knew who the man was and why he had 'snouted' him.
There are undoubtedly those who would consider this deliberate manipulation of language to be a clever and applaudable act... I think it is the work of a back sliding weevil who knows nothing but how to avoid actually answering the question because that is all he has done his entire life... that is his career modus operandi... he couldn't lie straight in bed...
Thank you for your patience in this here post, my latest self indulgence... back on the hobby horse (go on make it a zebra-Ed)...nice...
Tomorrow: Wind Turbine Select Committee - Blowing Smoke Somewhere
The latest farcical three ring circus re the Waterloo Wind Turbine Industrial Estate...
Apologies for late and/or early blog...I'm not sure whether I'm a day ahead or a day behind...I'll figure it out eventually...(I won't be holding my breath-Ed)...
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