Hey, we all love literature, in the right context. I'm just not sure that this is the right context. Presumably, Enda's top priority was to convey a message to a target audience. I really think he's let the language become a barrier to that message.Maybe that's where we differ (or should I say yet another place where we differ!) Complainer. I love the richness, colourfulness and breadth of the English language. I love that you can say the same thing a number of different ways. It broadens the mind I feel. So I welcome the language used in the speech.
Most of that quoted section is reasonably good. But I'd bet if you read that out to a bunch of passers-by on O'Connell St, how many of them could explain to you what Enda meant by "the primacy of the institution". When was the last time you used 'primacy' in a conversation or a document? It is unnecessarily flowery and convoluted imho. In fact, you could drop 'the primacy of' from the sentence without losing any meaning.But you still seem to imply that 25% of the country would have difficulty understanding the speech. I fail to see how anyone could have difficulty understanding any of the following:
"The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and 'reputation'."
"Cloyne's revelations are heart-breaking. It describes how many victims continued to live in the small towns and parishes in which they were reared and in which they were abused. their abuser often still in the area and still held in high regard by their families and the community."
"This report tells us a tale of a frankly brazen disregard for protecting children. If we do not respond swiftly and appropriately as a State, we will have to prepare ourselves for more reports like this."
I could go on but I'm sure you get the point by now!
If there are words in the speech that aren't needed to understand the message, why not cut them out mercilessly. Why not cut the 500 word speech to the 100 words that are important?Just because people might not understand every word in a speech does not mean that they don't understand the message in the speech.
I know that I've gone way off topic here - maybe the mods would like to split?You seem to either fail to understand this or are simply making an argument about literacy that has nothing to do with the subject being discussed here.
The penny has dropped. This is the final act in the Peace Process. Second last act, we had to show that we love the Queen but to really convince our Orange brethren that we are setrious about peace we had to show that we hate the Pope.
I disagree on the language used folks. I mean some statistic may show soon that 25% of the people only understand text speak (or should that be txt spk!) - that doesn't mean the Taoiseach should follow suit! This is a speech that will be read in decades to come so personally I think it should have a quality of language to last the test of time.
I can respect different views on this matter, but the underlying issue of literacy is not about 'some statistic'. This is a very real issue for the Irish adult population. See [broken link removed] for details of the research and see [broken link removed] for a more personal understanding of the problems that poor literacy causes.I disagree on the language used folks. I mean some statistic may show soon that 25% of the people only understand text speak (or should that be txt spk!) - that doesn't mean the Taoiseach should follow suit! This is a speech that will be read in decades to come so personally I think it should have a quality of language to last the test of time.
Actually, you did. By saying " I mean some statistic may show soon that 25% of the people only understand text speak (or should that be txt spk!) ", you trivialised this very important issue.I made no remark about literacy issues in the Irish population,
Absolutely disagree. Enda is Taoiseach for everybody, including the 25% of people who have literacy difficulties. He's not just the Taoiseach for Irish Times readers.I merely pointed out that this should have no bearing on how such an important speech by our Taoiseach is drafted.
Absolutely disagree. Enda is Taoiseach for everybody, including the 25% of people who have literacy difficulties. He's not just the Taoiseach for Irish Times readers.
In relation to Mpsox's post about giving the Church money. That's exactly what the Church is about, money and power and that's all they are about. They couldn't care less about Africa etc. That's just another place where they freely practice their perversions under the guise of so called holiness.
The church doesn't not the first think about goodness and kindness. They know though about accumulating wealth and power. You don't have to look at the vatican to see that. Look all around everything you do in Ireland and see what little real choice one has.
It's hard to see how anyone who would struggle with medicine instructions would not struggle with unprecedented juncture, excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism....the narcissism, the primacy of the institution, gimlet eye of a canon lawyer etc.Sigh, there you go again assuming that those with literacy issues will not understand the content of the speech or think that it is not for them!
It's hard to see how anyone who would struggle with medicine instructions would not struggle with unprecedented juncture, excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism....the narcissism, the primacy of the institution, gimlet eye of a canon lawyer etc.
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