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Title:
What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak | Mark Forsyth | TEDxHousesofParliament
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Description:
Most politicians choose their words carefully, to shape the reality they hope to create. But does it work? Etymologist Mark Forsyth shares a few entertaining word-origin stories from British and American history (for instance, did you ever wonder how George Washington became "president"?) and draws a surprising conclusion.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
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One of my favorite words in the whole
of the Oxford English Dictionary
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is "snollygoster,"
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just because it sounds so good.
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And what snollygoster means
is "a dishonest politician."
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Although there was a 19th-century
newspaper editor
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who defined it rather better when he said,
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"A snollygoster is a fellow
who seeks office
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regardless of party,
platform or principle,
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and who, when he wins,
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gets there by the sheer force
of monumental talknophical assumnancy."
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(Laughter)
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Now, I have no idea
what "talknophical" is.
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Something to do with words, I assume.
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But it's very important that words
are at the center of politics,
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and all politicians know
they have to try and control language.
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It wasn't until, for example, 1771
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that the British Parliament
allowed newspapers to report
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the exact words that were said
in the debating chamber.
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And this was actually
all down to the bravery
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of a guy with the extraordinary
name of Brass Crosby,
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who took on Parliament.
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And he was thrown into the Tower of London
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and imprisoned,
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but he was brave enough,
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he was brave enough
to take them on, and in the end,
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he had such popular support
in London that he won.
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And it was only a few years later
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that we have the first recorded use
of the phrase "as bold as brass."
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Most people think
that's down to the metal.
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It's not; it's down to a campaigner
for the freedom of the press.
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But to really show you
how words and politics interact,
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I want to take you back
to the United States of America,
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just after they'd achieved independence.
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And they had to face the question
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of what to call
George Washington, their leader.
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They didn't know.
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What do you call the leader
of a republican country?
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And this was debated
in Congress for ages and ages.
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And there were all sorts
of suggestions on the table,
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which might have made it.
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I mean, some people
wanted him to be called
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"Chief Magistrate Washington,"
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and other people,
"His Highness, George Washington,"
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and other people,
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"Protector of the Liberties
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of the People of the United States
of America Washington."
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Not that catchy.
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Some people just wanted
to call him king --
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it was tried and tested.
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They weren't even being monarchical,
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they had the idea that you could
be elected king for a fixed term.
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And, you know, it could have worked.
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And everybody got insanely bored,
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because this debate
went on for three weeks.
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I read a diary of this poor senator
who just keeps coming back,
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"Still on this subject."
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And the reason for the delay
and the boredom
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was that the House of Representatives
were against the Senate.
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The House of Representatives didn't want
Washington to get drunk on power.
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They didn't want to call him "king,"
in case that gave him ideas,
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or his successor ideas.
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So they wanted to give him
the humblest, meagerest,
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most pathetic title
that they could think of.
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And that title ...
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was "President."
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(Laughter)
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"President." They didn't invent the title.
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I mean, it existed before,
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but it just meant somebody
who presides over a meeting.
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It was like the foreman of the jury.
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And it didn't have much more grandeur
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than the term "foreman" or "overseer."
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There were occasional presidents
of little colonial councils
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and bits of government,
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but it was really a nothing title.
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And that's why the Senate objected to it.
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They said, "That's ridiculous!
You can't call him 'President.'
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This guy has to go and sign treaties
and meet foreign dignitaries.
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Who's going to take him seriously
if he's got a silly little title
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like 'President of the United
States of America'?"
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(Laughter)
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And after three weeks
of debate, in the end,
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the Senate did not cave in.
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Instead, they agreed to use
the title "President" for now.
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But they also wanted
it absolutely set down
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that they didn't agree with it,
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from a decent respect for the opinions
and practice of civilized nations,
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whether under republican
or monarchical forms of government,
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whose custom it is to annex,
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through the office
of the Chief Magistrate,
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titles of respectability --
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not bloody "President."
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And that, in the intercourse
with foreign nations,
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the majesty of the people
of the United States
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may not be hazarded
by an appearance of singularity --
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i.e., we don't want to look
like bloody weirdos.
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Now, you can learn
three interesting things from this.
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First of all -- and this is my favorite --
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is that, so far as I've ever
been able to find out,
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the Senate has never formally
endorsed the title of President.
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Barack Obama, President Obama,
is there on borrowed time,
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just waiting for the Senate
to spring into action.
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(Laughter)
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The second thing you can learn
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is that, when a government says
that this is a temporary measure --
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(Laughter)
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you can still be waiting 223 years later.
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But the third thing you can learn --
and this is the really important one,
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the point I want to leave you on --
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is that the title, "President
of the United States of America,"
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doesn't sound that humble
at all these days, does it?
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Something to do
with the slightly over 5,000
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nuclear warheads he has at his disposal
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and the largest economy in the world
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and a fleet of drones
and all that sort of stuff.
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Reality and history
have endowed that title with grandeur.
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And so the Senate won in the end.
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They got their title of respectability.
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And also, the Senate's other worry,
the appearance of singularity --
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well, it was a singularity back then.
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But now, do you know
how many nations have a president?
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A hundred and forty-seven.
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All because they want
to sound like the guy
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who's got the 5,000 nuclear warheads, etc.
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And so, in the end, the Senate won
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and the House of Representatives lost ...
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because nobody's going to feel that humble
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when they're told that they are now
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the President of the United
States of America.
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And that's the important lesson
I think you can take away,
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and the one I want to leave you with.
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Politicians try to pick and use words
to shape and control reality,
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but in fact,
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reality changes words far more
than words can ever change reality.
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Thank you very much.