Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Christiane Amanpour uses "fancy" word incorrectly...

ABC doubles down by having a pop-up graphic defining the word.

In an attempt to sound intelligent on Sunday's (?) broadcast of This Week, Ms Amanpour flings out the word "perspicacious" in reference to a statement made by Benjamin Franklin.
Amanpour’s guest mentioned Benjamin Franklin wrote that he wouldn’t mind being preserved in a “vat of Madeira wine” in order to see if the Constitution held up 200 years later. Amanpour responded, “he was amazingly perspicacious when this Constitution was signed.”
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, "perspicacious" means: "Of acute mental vision or discernment". The Free Online Dictionary says:  "Having or showing penetrating mental discernment; clear-sighted". 

  The word is used to describe a person who has accurately seen into the future.  Problem is, Franklin didn't make any accurate future observation about the Constitution.  He merely stated that it would be nice "to be a fly on the wall" 200 years later to see how the Constitution was holding up. 

  After Ms Amanpour used the word (incorrectly), ABC put up a graphic with the definition of the word for it's viewers, presupposing that they are also too ignorant to know what the word means. The real story here is not that ABC insulted the intelligence of their audience, but that they, and Ms Amanpour, didn't realize the word was used incorrectly. The only ignorant people in this whole affair are Ms Amanpour and ABC. 
 
Christiane Amanpour Uses Such A Fancy Word, ABC Has To Define It In A Graphic

Meantime, some person by the name of Richard Cohen at the Washington Post likens the GOP to a "cult." According to this person (Mr. Cohen), if you want lower taxes and don't believe in chopping up babies in the womb, you've slipped over to the "dark side."

Discussion at Memorandum where I see The Daily Kos has weighed in.  I'm sure that will be instructive.  /sarc

Speaking of cults, how about we let Zilla tell us about a real cult:   Cult of Stupid

5 comments:

Terry Nelson said...

I used to like Christine - but you've wrecked it for me. How perpendicular is that.

What?

Adrienne said...

Terry - you never fail to crack me up!

PS And to think I've finally found a way to keep "infer" and "imply" straight!

Zilla said...

Thank you for linking to me in this fantabulous post, you cromulently embiggen my blogginess with your linkalating.

Amusing Bunni said...

I really can't stand that commie B*tch. I'm surprised they haven't gotten rid of her already, her crap attitude is driving away viewers in droves.
I will watch NBC sun. Shows, even though they suck and are libs, but I absolutely will not watch ABC with that vile hag.

Anonymous said...

I learned this word in high school. What's the big deal.