Writing From The Left

[PoliticalChic]

Writing in a rather exclusive high-tone publication, Ms. Jones captures ["Society's Cancers"] memes, and pitches from the Left. Her Christmas column finds naught but coal in America's stocking.

1. "...a time to gather family and friends into our homes and be thankful as we eat, drink and celebrate. But there are cancers growing in our society, and like any aggressive cancer, they are metastasizing as they grow—wiping out health, hope and happiness along the way.

2. Hunger has always been an issue in America. Emergency food programs and services are not new. Soup kitchens are one of the enduring images from the Great Depression in the 20th Century....Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). School lunch programs are known to provide the best nutrition that many low and moderate income (“LMI”) children receive at any point during the day.

3. The problems the elderly face in efforts to stave off hunger...a 21% increase in unduplicated annual clients on Long Island...283,700 of our neighbors are receiving food assistance.

4. Yes, the cancer of hunger has existed in America since its founding.

5. The cancer that started with the foreclosure crisis has grown into the aggressive cancer that we see in rising rates of homelessness....Americans struggle to keep shelter...Long Island Cares report that 49% of clients surveyed reported they had to choose between buying food or paying their rent or mortgage.

6. Joblessness is showing itself to be a dangerous cancer...have driven many Long Islanders out of the middle class and into poverty. 63% of Long Islanders served by Island Harvest and Long Island Cares had “annual incomes that fell below the federal poverty level or less than $17,163 per year for a household of three.”

7. The cancers of racism, classism and reduced access to quality educational opportunity are also growing, virtually unchecked, ...

8. The accusations of laziness or “welfare mentality” leveled at those struggling with many, if not all of society’s cancers, are disrespectful and insensitive.

9. As Americans, we still value and encourage independence and personal responsibility. When did caring about our neighbors with compassion and generosity, which lacks judgment and negativity, stop being an American value?

10. One of the key treatments for the cancers that afflict us is the recognition that few members of the middle class can guarantee that any of these fates couldn’t befall us."
Society’s Cancers | Long Island Pulse Magazine - Covering Long Island's lifestyles, arts, fashion, business, nightlife and entertainment


Wow.
How does one make it through the day?

 

[Sunni Man]

The Left/Progressives love to point fingers and blame everyone except themselves.

They find it easy to endlessly point out problems.

But they never seem to offer any rational or coherent solutions to the problems.

 

[Stephanie]

good grief...


in other words, HOW DARE us Americans celebrate when we should all be as unhappy as the writer of that article is..

 

[blastoff]

And here's hoping Ms. Jones had a very Merry Christmas. Not a happy friggin' holiday...not a damn happy Winter Solstice, or mother f-ing Happy Kwanzaa. Nope. In honor of the birth of the sweet baby Jesus, I hope the idiot had a very very Merry Christmas.

 

[editec]

Hyperbole (

/haɪˈpɜrbəliː/ hy-pur-bə-lee;[1] Greek: ὑπερβολή, 'exaggeration') is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.
Hyperboles are exaggerations to create emphasis or effect. As a literary device, hyperbole is often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in casual speech. An example of hyperbole is: "The bag weighed a ton."[2] Hyperbole helps to make the point that the bag was very heavy, although it is not probable that it would actually weigh a ton.
In rhetoric, some opposites of hyperbole are meiosis, litotes, understatement, and bathos (the 'letdown' after a hyperbole in a phrase).
[edit] References

1. ^ The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
2. ^ Mahony, David (2003). Literacy Tests Year 7. Pascal Press. p. 82. ISBN 9781877085369.

.

 

[JoeB131]

Kind of silly, since most of the poor are actually overweight. They are getting enough food, just not enough physical activity.

But mention "hunger" around Christmas, and that's a great way to invoke images of Dickensian sadness and guilt in people.

You know, come to think of it, Catholic and Jewish folks are more inclined to be Democrats, and both religions are kind of heavy on the guilt thing. Hmmmm....

 

[blastoff]

Kind of silly, since most of the poor are actually overweight. They are getting enough food, just not enough physical activity.

But mention "hunger" around Christmas, and that's a great way to invoke images of Dickensian sadness and guilt in people.

You know, come to think of it, Catholic and Jewish folks are more inclined to be Democrats, and both religions are kind of heavy on the guilt thing. Hmmmm....

Well, that's a good thing. After all they never know when they'll be in their next shoving match over the latest Michael Jordan sneakers, and the extra bulk can be a decided advantage over their smaller adversaries. And with their peers' eyes trained on their flashy new shoes their obesity will likely go unnoticed.

 

[derk]

The evils of of society so that they can be made more GOD like and perfect in the minds of the sheep-el who follow the lefts logic. They say it is the imperfect-able righteous rights fault that bad things happen to good people. We are the reason for gloom in this and every holiday season- if only we would give up our liberty's and let the government save our brothers. Damn us all for our free will and accountability based politic. Oh we who have little faith in the perfect man (democrat) and his benevolence through use of the Treasury.

 

[midcan5]

This should be in another forum as the reason for the thread is not about writing but about PC's monster under her bed syndrome.

There is a curious disconnect when a person brings up the failures of capitalism and its results, something the golden rule teaches, and is criticized for doing so. The author is free in our nation to see the underbelly of the beast and she has every right to do so. To hide failure is the means totalitarian societies use to maintain power, and it is what the right wing conservatives do when they put on blinders to the real world.

"Great inequality is the scourge of modern societies. We provide the evidence on each of eleven different health and social problems: physical health, mental health, drug abuse, education, imprisonment, obesity, social mobility, trust and community life, violence, teenage births, and child well-being. For all eleven of these health and social problems, outcomes are very substantially worse in more unequal societies." Richard Wilkinson/Kate Pickett The Evidence in Detail | The Equality Trust


This does not belong in writing.

 

[derk]

What we are talking about is that the writer believes the issues can by solved through political systems and a higher level of awareness and understanding. It sounds exactly like the ONE and his silly speeches and his talking points like in the health care debate, he thinks and the majority of the leftists believe:
1. They can make the world a better place by taking our liberty's and making us do as they say not as they do, because we don't take action based on our belief system.

2.That the individual should not have the tools to decide it should be GOVERNMENTS job to tell them what is proper conduct for the harmony and cohesion of brotherly love and the perfectibility of mankind through their control!

The OP is right there are sharp contrasts not only in politics, but in writing from both the left and the right. And the example she sighted is a good one. This belongs here!!!!

 

[midcan5]

The OP is right there are sharp contrasts not only in politics, but in writing from both the left and the right. And the example she sighted is a good one. This belongs here!!!!

That tautology makes no sense, the politics is the point, the writing is not. If PC were a linguist maybe but for those who read her biased BS this is typical. She picks and chooses with only the narrowest of purposes in mind.

Consider, "According to the Hunger in America 2010 report released by Island Harvest, there has been a 21% increase in unduplicated annual clients on Long Island since the 2006 report, which means that an estimated 283,700 of our neighbors are receiving food assistance."

So is it the langauge that matters or is it the fact that poverty is increasing? If the statistics are correct you have the answer. Nothing here about why this particular writer should use differnt words, the facts speak for themselves and the point of PC's OP is to ignore facts because she doesn't accept the source or the sentiment. The writing is irrelevant.

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." Richard Feynman

 

[derk]

The OP is right there are sharp contrasts not only in politics, but in writing from both the left and the right. And the example she sighted is a good one. This belongs here!!!!

That tautology makes no sense, the politics is the point, the writing is not. If PC were a linguist maybe but for those who read her biased BS this is typical. She picks and chooses with only the narrowest of purposes in mind.

Consider, "According to the Hunger in America 2010 report released by Island Harvest, there has been a 21% increase in unduplicated annual clients on Long Island since the 2006 report, which means that an estimated 283,700 of our neighbors are receiving food assistance."

So is it the langauge that matters or is it the fact that poverty is increasing? If the statistics are correct you have the answer. Nothing here about why this particular writer should use differnt words, the facts speak for themselves and the point of PC's OP is to ignore facts because she doesn't accept the source or the sentiment. The writing is irrelevant.

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." Richard Feynman

In most cases the left finds a problem then places blame usually on OTHERS who don't see the level of importance they do in the issue- the writing is relevant, because thats how they are communicating their ideas or should I say "fearmongering"?

 

[PoliticalChic]

This should be in another forum as the reason for the thread is not about writing but about PC's monster under her bed syndrome.

There is a curious disconnect when a person brings up the failures of capitalism and its results, something the golden rule teaches, and is criticized for doing so. The author is free in our nation to see the underbelly of the beast and she has every right to do so. To hide failure is the means totalitarian societies use to maintain power, and it is what the right wing conservatives do when they put on blinders to the real world.

"Great inequality is the scourge of modern societies. We provide the evidence on each of eleven different health and social problems: physical health, mental health, drug abuse, education, imprisonment, obesity, social mobility, trust and community life, violence, teenage births, and child well-being. For all eleven of these health and social problems, outcomes are very substantially worse in more unequal societies." Richard Wilkinson/Kate Pickett The Evidence in Detail | The Equality Trust


This does not belong in writing.

Oooooo.....

Middy has just become the subject of the Ausonius quote:


"Truth is the mother of hatred."

 

[midcan5]

In most cases the left finds a problem then places blame usually on OTHERS who don't see the level of importance they do in the issue- the writing is relevant, because thats how they are communicating their ideas or should I say "fearmongering"?

That makes no sense to me, can you give me a specific example?

 

[Trajan]

Writing in a rather exclusive high-tone publication, Ms. Jones captures ["Society's Cancers"] memes, and pitches from the Left. Her Christmas column finds naught but coal in America's stocking.

1. "...a time to gather family and friends into our homes and be thankful as we eat, drink and celebrate. But there are cancers growing in our society, and like any aggressive cancer, they are metastasizing as they grow—wiping out health, hope and happiness along the way.

2. Hunger has always been an issue in America. Emergency food programs and services are not new. Soup kitchens are one of the enduring images from the Great Depression in the 20th Century....Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). School lunch programs are known to provide the best nutrition that many low and moderate income (“LMI”) children receive at any point during the day.

3. The problems the elderly face in efforts to stave off hunger...a 21% increase in unduplicated annual clients on Long Island...283,700 of our neighbors are receiving food assistance.

4. Yes, the cancer of hunger has existed in America since its founding.

5. The cancer that started with the foreclosure crisis has grown into the aggressive cancer that we see in rising rates of homelessness....Americans struggle to keep shelter...Long Island Cares report that 49% of clients surveyed reported they had to choose between buying food or paying their rent or mortgage.

6. Joblessness is showing itself to be a dangerous cancer...have driven many Long Islanders out of the middle class and into poverty. 63% of Long Islanders served by Island Harvest and Long Island Cares had “annual incomes that fell below the federal poverty level or less than $17,163 per year for a household of three.”

7. The cancers of racism, classism and reduced access to quality educational opportunity are also growing, virtually unchecked, ...

8. The accusations of laziness or “welfare mentality” leveled at those struggling with many, if not all of society’s cancers, are disrespectful and insensitive.

9. As Americans, we still value and encourage independence and personal responsibility. When did caring about our neighbors with compassion and generosity, which lacks judgment and negativity, stop being an American value?

10. One of the key treatments for the cancers that afflict us is the recognition that few members of the middle class can guarantee that any of these fates couldn’t befall us."
Society’s Cancers | Long Island Pulse Magazine - Covering Long Island's lifestyles, arts, fashion, business, nightlife and entertainment


Wow.
How does one make it through the day?

and all of that will ALWAYS exist for her ilk on the left, its what gets them thru the day. no fight can ever be won, or allayed because they won't have anything to bitch/whine about.

 

[derk]

In most cases the left finds a problem then places blame usually on OTHERS who don't see the level of importance they do in the issue- the writing is relevant, because thats how they are communicating their ideas or should I say "fearmongering"?

That makes no sense to me, can you give me a specific example?

The war on poverty. Trying to pass gun legislation to keep people from shooting each other. OWS - like the issue that our free enterprise system is something we need equality in, thats just sour grapes. And another way to show they are inclined to use government, at every turn to redistribute our freedoms tending us ultimately toward hyper equality & risk aversion.

It made sense to you, your fully aware of the use of fear by the left in their journalism.


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF3hbPtCttc]How Liberal Journalists Think - YouTube[/ame]

Where will this RIGHTS FLIGHT from reality end?
http://www.usmessageboard.com/healthcare-insurance-govt-healthcare/200710-is-sex-a-right.html

 

[midcan5]

I wanted to get back to the OP before commenting again. It may not seem like it but I love a challenge, it forces me to refine and go back and research where (my and all) ideas come from and why.

Kimberly Jones's piece in an odd way parallels PC piece, both criticize assumptions with the obvious differences in purpose, Jones lists specific cancers she sees growing in America today, PC lists Jones' words as negatives of the vast left wing conspiracy she sees everywhere. Nowhere does PC challenge any of Jones' conclusions. Is Jones right or wrong, that judgement should be left to the reader based on facts not words and (poor?) metaphors.

Is Jones pessimist, you can answer that after looking at black unemployment. As a thoughtful reader look, and then tell us. But this is where it gets tricky, if I go into my head I'll see black unemployment different than you. We'll see maybe?

How does Jones get through the day? Well ask yourself how the unemployed get through the day, Jones probably does OK and that she notices and writes about what she sees as wrong is that freedom part of America.

Now your comments: The YouTube is just too stupid for me. Whenever something starts with defining the opponent in the words of the opponent you know nothing good follows. Allow me to be the liberal....I can speak for myself.

What exactly is fear-mongering? Is it calling a democratically elected president a socialist Marxist? Is it saying taxing the wealthy will cause America to lose jobs? Is it claiming government is the problem? You know what they say about people who live in glass houses.

"OWS - like the issue that our free enterprise system is something we need equality in, thats just sour grapes." No one says this except you guys. And what is a 'free enterprise system?' Is that like what Madoff did? Or Enron did? Or the investment firms did? Does freedom mean laws only apply to the poor sucker who isn't in position to rob and steal and get bailed out? You seem to believe that when you defend criminality with words. Same thing PC railed against, those darn words again.

Enough for now - your words match Jones and it is why this is a political issue and not a writing topic, you may not realize it but you are using the same rhetorical memes (from the right) as Jones is accused of, only Jones presents a few facts that support her words. Again check that employment stat I asked about.

As for government, George said it best long ago, Reagan was wrong, but we can forgive him as he raised taxes often and helped social security: America's great achievement. "The unity of Government, which constitutes you one people, is also now dear to you. It is justly so; for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquillity at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very Liberty, which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee, that, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your political fortress against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insidiously) directed, it is of infinite moment, that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national Union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the Palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion, that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts." Quote DB :: Speeches :: George Washington :: George Washington's Farewell Address Speech

 

[derk]

I'll try and answer some of this later. I won't dispute figures on unemployment. The figures would have to be compared to the severals of groups. I have no doubt certain groups, Black males, Hispanic males and some other groups like older people , male an female have a harder time finding work. Thats normal, and in most cases nothing to do with anything other than it is a reflection of factors associated with them. I will say the employment issue can be addressed by the members of these groups with education and a sense of personal responsibility as opposed to a sense of entitlement.
The writer follows the logic of the left and the way they approach the issues they bring up in the article is that they can be fixed.

Fact number one. Not all things can be fixed and involving government to use the force of law to address them adds confusion and makes it harder to deal with the problems. This is the style of the writer in affect yelling fire or trying to sound an alarm as a call to action. Basically we see it as a non issue, sighting in most instances that it is personal accountability. Fact - life isn't fair. And there is nothing the perfectibility of mankind can do about it. We will always have some perceived Ill's in our society.

 

[Darkwind]

The OP is right there are sharp contrasts not only in politics, but in writing from both the left and the right. And the example she sighted is a good one. This belongs here!!!!

That tautology makes no sense, the politics is the point, the writing is not. If PC were a linguist maybe but for those who read her biased BS this is typical. She picks and chooses with only the narrowest of purposes in mind.

Consider, "According to the Hunger in America 2010 report released by Island Harvest, there has been a 21% increase in unduplicated annual clients on Long Island since the 2006 report, which means that an estimated 283,700 of our neighbors are receiving food assistance."

So is it the langauge that matters or is it the fact that poverty is increasing? If the statistics are correct you have the answer. Nothing here about why this particular writer should use differnt words, the facts speak for themselves and the point of PC's OP is to ignore facts because she doesn't accept the source or the sentiment. The writing is irrelevant.

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." Richard Feynman

So, if it was just a use of the language and not a purposeful excursion into PC hyperbole, then the author would have detailed the lessening of standards for which people can get food assistance, eh?

So, is poverty increasing or are we just lowering the bar? The author does not even attempt to bring that to light in the piece, and if this is the extent of their honesty in writing....well, that kind of makes the OP's point.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

when did caring about our neighbors with compassion and generosity, which lacks judgment and negativity, stop being an american value?

1981.