Palin’s Unabridged Words to Nowhere.

Make sense of what doesn'tImage by joestump via Flickr

YOU SAY MOSQUE. I SAY MOSQUITO.

What’s that buzzing noise?

It’s Sarah Palin‘s words swarming from my TV set and circling my head.

Yes, Sarah Palin is back in the news because there’s a new controversy in town – the ground zero mosque – a wedge issue she can really sink her teeth into.

In an attempt to capture the spotlight and stir up further anger on the proposed construction of a mosque two blocks from ground zero, Palin tweeted in Palin-Speak or Tweety Birdese …

“Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate,” Palin said via Twitter.

This sparked a controversy from the controversy or controversy2.

So, let’s parse her, uh, er words. Nice parallel use of heart and heartland although I would have bypassed the heart stab metaphor and had gone with a more relatable image. Something with more of an ER or Gray’s Anatomy appeal, like heart attack, heart disease, or heart failure. How many people do you know that have been stabbed in the heart?

And the remaining phrase … “as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate.” Okay, so, Alaska isn’t one of the heartland states and refudiate isn’t a real word but what Palin says isn’t reality based any way. You peaceful Muslims -You know who you are – will understand that.

The press wasn’t amused by Sarah Palin’s revisionist carnage of the English language.

From The Epoch Times (not to be confused with the New York Times):

…She used “refudiate” rather than “refute,” which prompted several media outlets to make clear that the former isn’t a word.

In response, Palin used her extensive knowledge of English Literature, she learned in a correspondence course from an advertisement she saw in Moose Life Magazine, to educate the press on the importance of using made up words, as noted in this CBS News article.

Palin shot back and Tweeted: “English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!” 

Here Palin compares herself to William Shakespeare in addition to issuing the startling revelation that words are alive and may in fact have a brain, unlike Palin, whose thoughts are transmitted from an alien spacecraft, originating from the planet WTF that hovers above Wasilla land. 

Incidentally, the William Shakespeare to whom Palin refers is a resident lush who drinks from a local watering hole. The patrons refer to him as Bill because he never pays his.

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20 Comments Palin’s Unabridged Words to Nowhere.

  1. Ziva

    Oh my, this almost makes me want to join Twitter just so I'll be able to follow Sarah Palin and be kept up to date with how the English language evolves. Or rather how it "evolvatates", as Sarah Palin says.

    Reply
  2. Lauren

    Ziva: I think I'm going to follow Palin on Twitter. Great material! Thank God her words are restricted to 140 characters. Scratching head. A character restricted to 140 characters.

    Reply
  3. Lauren

    RF: LOL. An Alaskan wildebeest. A contemporary Shakespearean tragedy.

    "Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,–
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
    -2nd Witch-Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15)

    Reply
  4. thedickdujour

    I've had the hardest time trying to decide who she reminds me of. It's not usually Shakepeare, more like Dr. Seuss.

    Reply
  5. Lauren

    Dick: I have to disagree. Comparing Palin to Dr. Seuss would be a compliment. I think she is like George Bush with more brain cells.

    Reply
  6. K.

    The part that downright offends me is "as it does ours." Speak for yourself, Sarah, and even the looneytuners you represent. But please don't involve me.

    Reply
  7. Lauren

    K: You are so right. She's got such a large ego she thinks she speaks for the entire heartland instead of a cadre of cartoon characters.

    Reply
  8. "Annie"

    This entire post is hilarious, but I spit out my coffee when I read about her "extensive knowledge of English Literature," that she apparently "learned in a correspondence course from an advertisement she saw in Moose Life Magazine, to educate the press on the importance of using made up words."

    You are really funny and clever.

    GreaT Blog~

    Annie from A Nice Place In The Sun

    Reply
  9. Ivy

    Oh Sarah Palin… let's face it… You can dress up a pitbull with some lipstick, but that doesn't keep it from drooling and growling. Nor does it make it a wordsmith.

    When will she learn?

    Reply
  10. Leeuna

    This is hilarious, and also embarrassing — I read Moose Life Magazine and I totally didn't know about the new word "refudiate". I am sooo going to stopulate my subscription.

    Reply
  11. Lauren

    Well stated,Ivy. It's like leading a horse to water in a desert.

    Leeuna: LOL! It was in the July issue. Maybe that's why you missed it. You just need to check off the "stopulate subscription" box.

    Reply
  12. Pingback: Lauren Salkin

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