Wednesday, February 4, 2009

"some people"

I know this really doesn't directly have to do with race, but it comes back to that idea of using the phrase "these people" or "the white elite"; who are "these people" and what do they really feel?  I think this response from the Huffington Post to an Associated Press article fits well with the importance of defining terms such as these.  It's short, I'll admit, but I think it fits with some of the things we have been discussing in class.

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7 comments:

  1. Rob HipskindFebruary 5, 2009 at 10:56 PM

    A common troupe in journalism is to express the writers opinion through the terms of "some people." The people referred to here are almost certainly Charles Babington.

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  2. robert carolloFebruary 5, 2009 at 11:11 PM

    again i agree with rob in regards to the journalism example...

    but to expand on just the concept of "some people" i would content that the use of the term has a two fold significance. most commonly it's used to give lend support to a statement made by oneself. People employ this method (myself included) because it's human nature to want to agree with others so as to be part of the in group. So out of insecurity people use the concept "some people" to create the illusion that there is a host of "others"

    or it's used to create the idea of an other group that oneself disagrees with without bringing the individuals into the discussion (in order to keep personal emotions and relationships out of the mind of the reader or other person)

    that's only a simple an incomplete personal take on the phrase whether correct or not thats how i see it...please expand on or correct me if necessary

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  3. CoopFebruary 6, 2009 at 10:12 AM

    Could "some people" also be a stand in for "some white people"? A way to pass off racist or prejudiced views as legitimate political discourse.

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  4. nicolas08February 6, 2009 at 11:20 AM

    i was thinking along the lines of what cooper stated. I had heard a few people say that we don't need such an academic/lawyer type in that high of an office. But the presidency has seen it's fair share of very well educated presidents who attended some of the most prestigious schools in America, not to mention some of the wealthiest families in America are presidential families. Obama is nothing new in this respect, but what is new is his ethnic and racial heritage, and this is what I believe lies behind such comments that he is 'arrogant' from 'some people'

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  5. BarretFebruary 6, 2009 at 2:15 PM

    I agree with Cooper on this one, and the term "some people" is just another way of saying "white." We've seen it before a lot in the election and these types of terms will continue to be used to stand up to Obama by conservative journalists, etc.

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  6. MeredithFebruary 6, 2009 at 5:52 PM

    I agree that in many instances, "some people" refers to white people. However, in this article, I just think the phrase is overused by the journalist. He uses it to describe the detractors and supporters of Obama. It seems like there has been news stories about "some people" thinking Obama is arrogant and others describing how he is "the one." The article is just referring to both of these groups that have been vocal about Obama.

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  7. AndreaFebruary 8, 2009 at 9:05 PM

    i think in this case it is possible that "some poeple" meant some people....

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