4,994
edits
Changes
Engine Charlie Wilson
{{rewrite|It's too political}}
{{rewrite|It's too political}}
An '''out of context''' quotation is a kind of discrediting attack which attempts to "use a person's words" against them.
An '''out of context''' quotation is a kind of discrediting attack which appears to use a person's own words against him, but is deceptive because the apparent meaning of the words quoted is different from the meaning of the passage taken as a whole.
For example: as quoted in an advertisement for the film ''Be Cool:''
For example: as quoted in an advertisement for the film ''Be Cool:''
It is not the narrative voice of the ''poem'' that says "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." It is the ''urn'' that says this ''to'' the narrator. The narrator is certainly ''moved'' by the urn, but it is by no means clear that the narrator fully agrees.
It is not the narrative voice of the ''poem'' that says "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." It is the ''urn'' that says this ''to'' the narrator. The narrator is certainly ''moved'' by the urn, but it is by no means clear that the narrator fully agrees.
Sometimes, even a subtle change in wording can radically change what the speaker meant to say. For example, Charles E. Wilson, president of General Motors from 1941 to 1953, is often slightly misquoted as having said
:"What's good for General Motors is good for the country."
The context was his confirmation hearing before the Senate for his appointment as Secretary of Defense. He was asked whether, as a government official, he would be capable of making a decision that would adversely affect General Motors. What he said in full was:
:"Yes, sir, I could. I cannot conceive of any because for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors, and vice versa."<ref>Keyes, Ralph (1992): ''Nice Guys Finish Seventh: False Phrases, Spurious Sayings, and Familiar Misquotations,'', p. 8</ref>
It's not totally unfair to translate the "vice versa" into "What's good for General Motors is good for the country," but chopping off the "for years I thought" and "what was good for the country was good for General Motors" is; it transforms a forthright statement into a piece of fatuous arrogance.
Like, "Most pollution comes from trees," a remark attributed by Anderson supporters to [[Ronald Reagan]] during the 1980 presidential campaign.
Like, "Most pollution comes from trees," a remark attributed by Anderson supporters to [[Ronald Reagan]] during the 1980 presidential campaign.