Let Me Say This (16th Dec 2008)
Ok, here I am again, how many more of these blogs can I write? That’s a good question. Have you ever noticed that good questions are usually good because the person who says that it’s a good question is usually saying it because they don’t have an answer to the question, which you’d think would make it a bad question but, because they want to stall for time while they think of an answer, they give you a bit of praise and self-assuredly say that it’s a good question when in actual fact they’re thinking to themselves, “This question sucks big time… I better make something up and keep sounding confident or they’ll realise I’m dancing in the dark!”
Politicians are experts at it. They can answer a question without even answering the question and instead talk about a completely different subject that makes them sound like they are the best thing that ever happened to the planet, for example, if a politician is trying to hide something the interviewer will ask, “Foreign minister, isn’t it true you lied about the amount of boat people entering this country?” POLITICIAN: “Well Kerry, let me say this unequivocally and without prejudice, these accusations are can be attributed to the fact we have brought unemployment to an all time low.” etc, etc. The interviewer then repeats the question and the pollie repeats his answer using different words but always pushing how much good work the government has done and are doing. The same question is repeatedly asked until the frustrated interviewer realises the answer is a constantly moving target and so moves on to the next question, which produces the same results.
Most politicians are so slick that when they’re dealt a ‘good-question’ they’ll rarely say, “Hmmm, good question,” because they’re always armed with ‘good-answers’ not the right answers but good enough to eventually make the interviewer give up and move on. Sometimes it’s the interviewer’s fault that they don’t get the right answers, for instance, when ex-president, Bill Clinton, was asked if he’d had sex with Monica Lewinski he categorically stated, “I did not have sexual relations with Miss Lewinski.” But if he had then been asked the follow-up question of, “Ok Bill, but did she perform fellatio on you?” I have no doubt he would’ve answered, “Hmmm, good question!”
I don’t understand how reporters and journalists can stay interested in politics because they always get dodgy answers and must end up frustrated. I suppose they’re so interested in politics they can never be bored because it’s what they love. It’s a bit like sports journalists, you constantly hear the same questions and answers, but because they’re doing what they love it keeps them interested, like when a football team loses to another team the reporter asks, “You’ve just been beaten, what happened?” And the coach always says something like, “Well, Lang and Walton were injured early, we were weakened up forward but basically they were the better team on the day, we tried our hardest but it wasn’t good enough.” And the reporter says, “What are you going to try and do next week?” And the coach says, “We’ll try and strengthen the forward line and interchange Thompson and Castle, move Murphy to the back and hope Tanner is over his groin strain and fit enough to play.”
Just for a change I’d like to see a TV sport segment go something like this…
REPORTER: “You’ve just been beaten, what happened?” COACH: “We lost.” REPORTER: “What are you going to try and do next week?” COACH: “Win.”
REPORTER: “Is there any chance you’ll try and strengthen the forward line and interchange Thompson and Castle, move Murphy to the back and try and get Tanner back in to play?” COACH: “Yes.”
Yep, sport’s reporters love what they do and that’s why they can ask the same questions over and over again. Coaches also love what they do but unfortunately for the sports reporters being interviewed isn’t what they love. Then there are sport spectators, they also love what they do and what they love to do is watch people doing what it is they love to do, which is playing sport. Being a spectator is a bit weird when you think about it because instead of having the love of playing a sport they, instead, love to watch people who love to play the sport they love. For example, golf spectators love to watch golfers play golf because golf spectators love watching golf players doing what they love to do, which is playing golf. These golf spectators, very often, also love to play golf but their truelove is watching golfers doing what it is they love. The scary thing is, if this insanity continues could we soon see a new breed of spectators who love watching spectators who love watching golfers who love playing golf? And, then, could it be just a twisted step away from there till we see spectators who love watching spectators who love watching spectators who love watching golfers who love playing golf? Now there’s a question for you.
Cheers, vicplume.com
Tags: bill, clinton, golf, government, politicians, president, reporters, spectators, sport, unemployment
