Sister Sarah Steps in it Again

[curvemudgeon]

Sarah Palin addressed 'the Nation' today, [washingtonpost.com video], nominally to speak about the tragedy of the Arizona shooting. During the video she made the statement:

"Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hated and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible."

Either Palin is staying true-to-form in remaining willfully ignorant of historical context, or the words "blood libel" were carefully chosen.

For reference, quote from the opening Wikipedia page on "blood libel":

Blood libel (also blood accusation) refers to a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, in European contexts almost always Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays. Historically, these claims have–alongside those of well poisoning and host desecration–been a major theme in European persecution of Jews.

The libels typically allege that Jews require human blood for the baking of matzos for Passover. The accusations often assert that the blood of Christian children is especially coveted, and historically blood libel claims have often been made to account for otherwise unexplained deaths of children.

That's some dark shit right there.

Is it reasonably possible, at this stage of development of her public persona and after all the verbal gaffes she is guilty of, that the thought never crossed her mind that maybe, just maybe, the reason some conveniently evocative, argument framing catch-phrase stuck in her head is because the concepts and context behind it are so vile as to preclude it's use in anything purporting to be civil dialog?

Reprehensible is an accurate description, but not just of the behavior of journalists and pundits implied by Palin. If you are in possession of a bully pulpit and make use of it on a regular basis you are 100% responsible for the words you so carefully craft and the repercussions stemming from your presentation of same.

Comments

[curvemudgeon.livejournal.com]

And yet, even with every advantage available to a public figure attempting to deliver a message, she still manages to pull a fubar.

If this is the finished product I'm willing to drop mad cash for the outtake reels.