In India, we are not bothered. The whole establishment is unintelligent.
—Rummuser’s comment about spying for intelligence gathering
I’m still chuckling over Rummuser’s quip, and it reminded me of this line:
But we have to pass the bill so that we can find out what is in it.
—Misquote of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
The article containing the misquote gave the impression that Obamacare (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, see the whole act here) was too complicated for Congress to understand, so Pelosi was saying they should just pass it and figure it out later.
It was a great story, too good not to share, but I stupidly ruined it by checking it out. The quote was taken out of context — Pelosi wasn’t talking to Congress but to the National Association of Counties. She was asking them not to be swayed by all the criticism of the act but to look at it after it was passed and see for themselves all the benefits it would bring. The actual quote was,
We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.
We may still disagree with her, but the truth isn’t as much fun as the slanted story. Facts can be such wet blankets. No wonder politicians tend to ignore them as much as possible.
When she said that, copies of bill hadn’t even been printed so that all of the House members would have a chance to read it — as if they really would. If I recall correctly, there was a single copy on the floor of the House when it was voted on — and I did watch that vote.
You were paying more attention than I was. I was expecting it to be a mess because the bill was too big for the members of Congress to read. Presumably the lobbyists went over it in great detail and passed on their opinions.
There are two issues here which seem to be common with issues over here too. One, the media does not listen properly to the establishment and gives its own slant to issues and two, the guys who are supposed to pass bills do not really bother to study and debate and follow the whip.
It’s not just the media that slants things. Politicians do it all the time. And the lawmakers remind me of doctors listening to the sales representatives from drug companies. Neither the doctors nor lawmakers have time to do their own thinking.
Jean, that reminds me of how the popular singer Boy George, at the height of his fame, was misquoted. The tabloids were screaming that he’d said that he preferred having a cup of tea to having sex. One poet (can’t remember who) wrote a short poem entitled To Boy George, which consisted of just one line: Next time you fancy a cup of tea, Come around and have it with me.
Back then, to the best of my knowledge and maybe even today, there was a lot of promiscuity and casual sexual encounters going on in the rock world.
But I read the original interview in a high profile women’s magazine, before the misquote caught on. Boy George had been saying that having meaningless sex with strangers was not for him. If he met someone new in a nightclub, which was the way he socialized, he said that rather than just jumping into bed, he liked to spend time getting to know the person, which might consist of chatting and having a cup of tea. Which to my mind, is something entirely different from the meaning that the gutter press put in it. What do you think?
I’m afraid I’m not surprised. A lot of people won’t give interviews because they know things will be taken out of context to make a better story. That’s a great example, thanks!
I agree with that. 🙂
Misquoting and fabricating are unfortunately rife in the media, on the internet and among politicians. I’m surprised at the number of people who take quotes and so-called “facts” at face value without smelling a rat and checking them out. I always thought that quote by Boy George was a bit fishy but I didn’t know the full story behind it. Thanks for that, Maria.
Yes, thanks again for telling us the whole story, Maria. I’m afraid, Nick, that most people believe what they want to believe.