--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "BillyG" <wg...@...> wrote: > > Tip over and *capsize*...nice try Judy!
Yes, it's called a *metaphor*, BillyG. This was actually a pretty clever one given that he was talking about the environmental balance on a small island, which is similar to a boat in that it's surrounded by water. One of the meanings of "to capsize" is "to be upset." More people on the island, he was suggesting, would be likely to tip and upset the island's environmental balance. I know it's difficult for literalists to grasp anything but the simplest metaphors (and sometimes not even those), so it's not surprising this one confused you. > Ha, ha, actually I guess the congressman has been suffering > with Hepatitis C for some time... Ha, ha, yes, he's in poor health, how hilarious! For the record, hepatitis C doesn't make you stupid. It can make you a little forgetful, which may be why he was having trouble coming up with the proper words to describe the island's dimensions. But it wouldn't make you forget that islands don't tip over and capsize, unless you were so stupid to begin with that you'd *always* thought islands could tip over and capsize. Which Johnson ain't. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "BillyG" <wgm4u@> wrote: > > > > > > Watch and this and BE afraid, be VERY afraid, these folks are > > > making life and death decisions for us: > > > > > > http://digg.com/search?sort=newest&fltdigg=o50&s=site%3Ayoutube.com > > > > > > or, > > > http://digg.com/world_news/Congressman_thinks_Guam_will_tip_over_and_capsize > > > > I watched the video, and my instant reaction was that he > > meant it metaphorically. He went on to make a number of > > comments about the environmental problems that would be > > created by putting that many additional people on such a > > small island. It appeared obvious to me that this was > > what he was referring to. "Tip" is a verb often used > > metaphorically with regard to the point at which an > > environment begins to deteriorate irretrievably > > (including in the context of global warming). > > > > Then I went and looked him up on the Web. His Wikipedia > > page mentions the incident and quotes his spokesman: > > > > "I wasn't suggesting that the island of Guam would literally > > tip over." "I was using a metaphor to say that with the > > addition of 8,000 Marines and their dependents an > > additional 80,000 people during peak construction to the port > > on the tiny island with a population of 180,000 could be a > > tipping point which would adversely affect the island's > > fragile ecosystem and over burden its already overstressed > > infrastructure. > > > > "Having traveled to Guam last year, I saw firsthand how this > > beautiful but vulnerable island is already overburdened, > > and I was simply voicing my concerns that the addition of > > that many people could tip the delicate balance and do harm > > to Guam." > > > > Wikipedia introduces the quote by saying, "In what may > > have been an attempt at damage control..." > > > > Well, of course it was an attempt at damage control, but > > only of the damage created by the intentional > > misunderstanding of his remark promoted by people of ill > > will. > > > > There's no reason to think it wasn't exactly what he had > > in mind at the time. The admiral he was questioning seems > > to have taken it that way, chuckling at the jocular > > metaphor. He didn't seem surprised or embarrassed by it > > (as he most likely would have been had he taken it as > > having been meant literally) and went on to address the > > congressman's concerns about overpopulation of the island. > > > > FWIW, Johnson is a practicing Buddhist, one of only two in > > Congress. The example of certain people on FFL to the > > contrary, I'm not sure you can be a total nitwit and also > > be a practicing Buddhist.
