The Importance of Literacy

[billroper]

When carrying a protest sign, it's important to know what it says, especially if it's written in a language not your own.

Reputedly, the signs in this picture were helpfully translated into English by a retired U.S. Army Sergeant. If true, I hope that he left the area before they found out what the signs actually said.

If not true, well, it's an amusing round of Photoshopping. Snopes says they're fake, so...

(I thought those stencils looked too good.)

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I've never heard broadcasts from Arab countries with any shortage of people who speak a little English. I think this is an offensive hoax. It reminds me a bit of the anti-Jap propaganda from WWII.

K. [remember all the bad things about the enemy. Oh, and did we mention that they're stupid?]

[billroper]

OTOH, it could equally well be a story about a bunch of Southern rednecks who decided to protest against the French but who didn't actually speak any French and got conned the same way.

Of course, I have a low overall opinion of mankind. :)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Except, of course, that it wasn't.

K.

[billroper]

Fair enough.

In the interest of equal time, here's a debunked story from Snopes about a couple of idiot rednecks. They weren't having problems with French, but they were having problems with automotive repair.

Except that it never actually happened.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Why is there an "interest of equal time"? Do two wrongs make a right?

And I don't care about the picture. There are idiots from all walks of life who make up nasty lies about people they don't like. I was hoping that the picture was not being passed around Conservative blogs and being believed.

I'm not even sure how another random story counts as "equal time."

But, there are a lot of things I don't understand.

B

[billroper]

When I suggested to K that such a story could have as easily been made up about Southern rednecks, she noted that the story hadn't been about them. So I found one that was. That's all.

To the best of my knowledge, the picture is not being passed around Conservative blogs and being believed. In fact, the mailing list that I got it from is not a place where one can post a conservative opinion without a firestorm erupting and the person who posted it is, I believe based on his posts, a liberal Democrat.

However, the post was quickly responded to and debunked by the most liberal person on the list and someone else who spent substantial time and effort working on the Kerry campaign.

There are many things I don't understand either. :)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Was that story actually believed by anyone?

I can't believe that there are people in this country who think foreigners are that stupid. I really can't.

But then again, there are a lot of things I can't believe about people in this country.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

We think alike.

K. [seeing as how we're in different cities and all]

[billroper]

Curiously enough, yes. That was posted (with no attached disclaimers) to another mailing list that I'm on by a fellow who is, I believe, a liberal Democrat based on other things that he's said.

Gullibility is an equal opportunity thing, I guess. :)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Sad. Really sad.

B