As IF Times

link AFP: Obama bemoans ‘diversions’ of IPod, Xbox era.

You have to read this article carefully to make sure that it’s an accurate reporting of events.  It appears to be genuine and therefore alarming.  Did he really say that  “information had become a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy”? In the same breath, he says that education is the key to progress.  I have written before about how the President’s actions have often been in direct contrast to his actions.  This is the first time he has contradicted himself in the same sentence.

It becomes clearer what the reference is when he states:

 “…some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction,” in the clamor of certain blogs and talk radio outlets….All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy….”

Now this becomes clearer; what he is really doing is throwing an oblique dig at certain right of center media outlets, led no doubt by Fox Cable, a notorious critic of the administration’s policies.  Strangely, all of the mainstream media outlets have given favorable spin to the President’s policies; Fox is the only balancing voice to those views.  Somehow, this qualifies a mention in a commencement speech. Truly ironic in a place of learning since in the latter part of the same speech, the Pres includes this obligatory message invoking Thomas Jefferson:

“…What Jefferson recognized… that in the long run, their improbable experiment — called America — wouldn’t work if its citizens were uninformed, if its citizens were apathetic, if its citizens checked out, and left democracy to those who didn’t have the best interests of all the people at heart….It could only work if each of us stayed informed and engaged, if we held our government accountable, if we fulfilled the obligations of citizenship…”

So a confusing message is being sent.  If he doesn’t care for the role that technological devices are playing in society, he is the First Luddite.  That doesn’t speak well of the thousands of high tech jobs created by likes of Apple, Amazon, Sony etc, companies and  industries that have led the U.S. over the past decade.   Like it or not, society needs more engineers and technologically savvy grads to propel America forward.  Lawyers seem to be in surplus at the moment.  If he doesn’t care for the few dissenters with his policies, perhaps an official White House news service will be implemented, although that would be redundant in the presence of NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS.

Lastly, there is the discussion of learning being the equivalent of  emancipation.  Again a function of pandering to your audience, but emancipation is no longer an issue, hasn’t been one since, well, 1863.   This may explain the skepticism of modern technology.  It looks like someone’s looking to the past instead of the future.  Or maybe it’s just the politican/lawyer showing, covering both sides of an discussion without saying anything.  Bottom line, I think the man is confused.  Information, regardless of how it’s transmitted is everything.  Like the old saying, the truth shall set you free.

link Shanghai Is Trying to Untangle the Mangled English of Chinglish – NYTimes.com.

We’ve all encountered the cryptic instructions enclosed with some electronic items made in Asia.  While China, Taiwan and Korea have caught up with and perhaps even surpassed the West in manufacturing capability, their levels of English can still linger somewhat in the pigdin stage, at least when it comes to instructions.  It’s actually amazing that anyone notices since most men and probably a lot of women generally don’t read instructions anyway.  Obviously, the manufacturers must think the same way as most consumers of electronic devices:  Plug it in, turn it on and voila. 

Some devices however are not that intuitive.  Take for instance video cameras.  While at first glance, the controls may look simple, the reality is, one main button can actually be a multi function control stick requiring the operator to toggle through vast menus of items before arriving at the required mode.  What this amounts to is an electronic I.Q. test.  So you have to consult the instructions unless you happen to have a 12 year old kid handy.  Quite often, you’ll find the instructions in varying degrees of mangled English or Chinglish as it’s been dubbed.  While some may find this a reason to tsk tsk the manufacturers, I consider it free entertainment that comes with the device.

Somebody else apparently feels that way too.  The guy referenced in the linked article, Oliver Radtke, is on  mission to preserve Chinglish rather than expunge it as bureaucrats are trying to do for the World Expo in Shanghai.  Like myself, he finds maladaptations of the Chinese to English translation amusing and culturally unique.   According to the article, he is even pursing a master’s degree in Chinglish from, where else, the University of Heidelberg,  a logical place to study Chinese culture. His thesis is that Chinglish gives a unique peek into the Chinese mind.  I’m not so sure about that, but some of the signs posted in public places are blunt and refreshingly candid about things which we here in the west have sanitized or euphemized through political correctness.  In fact, I defy anyone to explain the logic and clarity of most legal documents.  Anyone in doubt can just pick up a mutual fund prospectus. 

From Google, a small sampling of the jewels to be found in Chinglish:

This particular one even pays homage to this site!

While amusing and in some cases, refreshingly so, the west is well on its way to mangling the English language as well.  I mentioned legalese above which is by far the main perpetrator, but let’s not forget Ebonics and teenagers, two major sources of language assassination.  Try to translate “whatup” or “whatever” into real English.  At least the Asians have an excuse, English is not their first language.