So, now I sit here, enjoying the California Central Coast.
I’m at my alma mater interviewing several candidates for my company. 8am to do interviews?? I barely wake up at 8am for regular work.
While reading about the NFL equivalent of what I am doing (the draft), I came across a story on ESPN.com where the author eventually digresses into political commentary.
The best excerpts:
- [On Dick Cheney] Ducks Unlimited says its members “celebrate the traditions and the heritage of sport hunting as an integral part ofsound wildlife management.” So Cheney wasn’t trying to kill ducks, he was engaged in sound wildlife management.
- [Talking about illegal immigrants] Focus must be kept on the word illegal if the core dilemma is to be addressed. Using a silly euphemism like “undocumented” only makes it hard to think clearly about this issue.
- [more on this subject] Similarly, it’s ridiculous that politicians and journalists continue to call those being held at Guantanamo and Bagram airbase in Afghanistan “detainees.”
- Orwell’s point regarding language was that society cannot face political issues unless it calls things what they are; the purpose of political euphemism, Orwell wrote, is to prevent clear thought.
I think the last point is so stupidly simple. I can’t believe this was part of an NFL draft mockery.