Apropos of absolutely nothing at all but that I just came across it in a book I'm reading on presidential speechwriting for a review for Ragan.com, here's what H.L. Mencken famously said of the writing, "the worst English that I have ever encountered," of President Warren Harding:
"It reminds me of a string of wet sponges; it reminds me of tattered washing on the line; it reminds me of stale bean soup, of college yells, of dogs barking idiotically through endless nights. It is so bad a sort of grandeur creeps into it. It drags itself out of the dark abysm ... of pish, and crawls insanely up to the topmost pinnacle of posh. It is rumble and bumble. It is flap and doodle. It is balder and dash."
Wheeee!
Comments (5)
Yes, he is. When confronted with what I consider to be wrongheaded arguments, if I don't feel like expending the energy to steer the person toward the light, I often use Mencken's rejoinder to folks who disagreed with his opinions: "You may be right." Pretty much defuses the argument, while leaving unsaid -- but implied -- so much more.
Greg
Posted by Greg Marsh | April 4, 2008 9:17 AM
Posted on April 4, 2008 09:17
David, you might find some fodder for your piece in Dick Cavett's blog for the NY TIMES.
http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/candidate-improve-your-appearance/
Speaking of George W. Bush and speeches, he says, "... just about everybody does it better than the capering loon who does soft-shoe in the White House while young Americans are dismembered and splattered in Iraq. Sometimes when he speaks I can forget who he is momentarily and find myself actually pulling for him; probably from misplaced performer empathy. His speechifying has a strong odor of remedial reading about it, combined with an apparent fear that there might be some hard words ahead."
Cavett's always a delightful read, no matter the topic.
Posted by Bill B | April 4, 2008 3:08 PM
Posted on April 4, 2008 15:08
Greg,
I use "you may be right" often, but I carry it one step further. I have a friend who loves to argue. He will argue about any subject on the planet, and he's quite good at it. But he's belligerent and stubborn. Many years ago our arguments often ended in hard feelings. Over time, I learned how to deal with him and still have an intelligent discussion: put it in second person. "You may be right, but many people believe ____________." (Fill in the blank.) That makes me bulletproof, while still getting my point across. Since he's always drunk, he doesn't get it.
Will
Posted by Will Daniel | April 7, 2008 6:51 AM
Posted on April 7, 2008 06:51
Will--
Some applicable advice my dad gave me that I too seldome take:
Never wrestle a pig. You both get muddy and the pig likes it.
Posted by David Murray | April 7, 2008 3:37 PM
Posted on April 7, 2008 15:37
I know, David. Sigh, I went to school with a girl like that.
Will
Posted by Will Daniel | April 7, 2008 3:40 PM
Posted on April 7, 2008 15:40