Lee Corbin wrote:
>
> Anders writes
>
> > Tiberius Gracchus [provided the URL]:
> > > http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2001/07/23/genoa/index.html
> >
> > Strange that it directly contradicts economic development statistics, for
> > example on the growth of inequality.
>
> Yes, but don't you *enjoy* the style?
>
> "In a cynical ploy aimed at buttressing their own crumbling credibility and at isolating
> the growing ranks of protest against the emerging global economy, the leaders pretended
> that they were the champions of the world's poor, fighting on their behalf against the
> 50,000 to 100,000 people in the streets who were the real enemies of the poor."
>
> There is such a marvelous rhythm to extremist writing---especially
> left-wing extremism. Note that not a single verb (or gerundative, present
> participle, etc.) is without its flaming tendentiousness, e.g., "aimed",
> "buttressing", "pretended". And the wonderful adjectives aren't far
> behind: "cynical", "crumbling", etc.
>
> I grew up reading all the wonderful old soviet-style rhetoric, and
> currently enjoy the "progressive" propaganda that it has given way to.
> But after decades and decades of this, don't the writers ever get
> self-conscious, and see how ludicrous it all sounds? (Not that I
> want them to stop.)
Oh, I don't know. My english teacher in high school, Mrs. Jestude, who
was the local steward of the NEA, taught us to write just in this
fashion.... 'description' was the most important thing to her, whether
you are writing literature (as in "Lit'rature") or some propaganda
screed.
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