The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

The Progressive Inverted Tongue (PIT)

Posted on | July 29, 2010 | 12 Comments

by Smitty

Gene Lyons offers a fine outing in this English look-alike, over at Salon.

Media fooled by right-wing propaganda — again
This time, the right-wing media juggernaut went too far too fast. Sleazy tactics similar to those employed by online provocateur Andrew Breitbart against former USDA official Shirley Sherrod have been driving the national political conversation and intimidating the so-called mainstream media for the better part of a generation now.

The assault on Sherrod, however, was so mean-spirited, crass and dishonest — not to mention so astonishingly stupid — that even Fox News provocateurs like Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck (after initially falling for the hoax) were pretty much forced to apologize. I expect O’Reilly actually meant it.

By inadvertently giving us a simple, compelling drama with an admirable protagonist unfairly maligned, it’s even possible that Brietbart has awakened sleepwalking Washington journalists to their responsibilities to something besides their own careers. But don’t hold your breath.

The ‘again’ in the title refers to how right-wing propaganda has been distorting everything since Whitewater.

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Comments

12 Responses to “The Progressive Inverted Tongue (PIT)”

  1. Dave C
    July 29th, 2010 @ 3:02 pm

    Yeah, that Andrew Breitbart who can make the White House fire people..

  2. Dave C
    July 29th, 2010 @ 11:02 am

    Yeah, that Andrew Breitbart who can make the White House fire people..

  3. KingShamus
    July 29th, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

    I like how this guy is talking about journalists waking up to their responsibilities. Funny dude.

    Shirley Sherrod and her husband are racists. That’s the story. Anything else is just fluff and distraction.

  4. KingShamus
    July 29th, 2010 @ 11:04 am

    I like how this guy is talking about journalists waking up to their responsibilities. Funny dude.

    Shirley Sherrod and her husband are racists. That’s the story. Anything else is just fluff and distraction.

  5. steve in tulsa
    July 29th, 2010 @ 3:57 pm

    They said Beck apologized? For what? Not running the video? Why would he apologize? Clearly they are lying because they simply cannot stop lying.

  6. steve in tulsa
    July 29th, 2010 @ 11:57 am

    They said Beck apologized? For what? Not running the video? Why would he apologize? Clearly they are lying because they simply cannot stop lying.

  7. Kojocaro
    July 29th, 2010 @ 10:11 pm

    Shriley sherrod cannot be racist only white people who created visceraptosis to keep the black man’s viscera down are racist

  8. Kojocaro
    July 29th, 2010 @ 6:11 pm

    Shriley sherrod cannot be racist only white people who created visceraptosis to keep the black man’s viscera down are racist

  9. Live Free Or Die
    July 30th, 2010 @ 12:12 am

    That would be Progressive Parseltongue to Harry Potter fans.

  10. Live Free Or Die
    July 29th, 2010 @ 8:12 pm

    That would be Progressive Parseltongue to Harry Potter fans.

  11. Who Doesn’t Enjoy Fisk-Flogging A Lefty Op-Ed? : The Other McCain
    August 26th, 2010 @ 7:49 am

    […] variant, this is a red flag that we’re about to experience some usage of the Progressive Inverted Tongue. In PIT, illegal doesn’t mean unlawful. When there is a terrorist attack by an Islamic […]

  12. More Examples Of The Progressive Inverted Tongue : The Other McCain
    August 29th, 2010 @ 9:26 pm

    […] the definitions of terms in lieu of dealing with reality. I call this Orwellian language use the Progressive Inverted Tongue, and I doubt not from which PIT it emerges.Two fine examples came through the Reader recently: […]