Why Watson Is Not Wrong
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A new “non-story” story is in the spotlight this week and it involves a moment of pointed sarcasm, an audience of business leaders, an attention seeking and media savvy spokesman for various ethnic communities, and the misguided agenda of the state’s elected officials.
The Republican leader of the House, Representative Robert Watson, is under fire for telling an appreciative audience of business leaders last week that the state’s elected officials, starting with the Governor and encompassing leadership of the General Assembly, seem to be embarking on an agenda that is avoiding the more urgent, core fiscal problems facing the state.
Removing the trademark Watson wit, and yes, use of sarcasm to underscore his point—I have just stated pretty much the exact same message he was articulating.
But what has inflamed the newest fake political controversy was that the highly articulate and intelligent Watson, in expressing his frustration about the direction in which this legislative session seems to be headed, resorted to sarcasm ( a commonly applied tool of language that is apparently often misunderstood in translation). So he put it this way: “This year, it shouldn’t be about illegal immigration, but I suppose it will be. It shouldn’t be about gay marriage, but it will be. I suppose if you are a gay man from Guatemala who likes to smoke pot and gamble, you probably think we’re onto some good ideas here.” (The pot reference was to the medical marijuana site licensing issue, and the gambling reference was to the annually recurring debate which will shift to Twin River this session)
So now we find that David Quiroa, once a Republican party official representing the Hispanic caucus, and a seasoned player spokesman for various ethnic communities, has seen a new media moment and has galvanized the state’s Guatemalan community to demand an apology from Watson, going so far as to bring in a Washington, DC based Guatemalan diplomat for the cameras this week. A protest is/was planned in front of Watson’s home/office. (It’s a challenge to keep track of contrived, choreographed for maximum news coverage “controversies.”)
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAs of this writing, a protest by the state’s Guatemalan community is not planned outside the offices of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and an apology is so far not being demanded of Chamber President Laurie White or other Chamber members for the dual offenses of the ability to comprehend sarcasm and insensitive public laughing. Not yet at least.
But the real irony (do we all understand the concept of irony?) is this: the fact that this entire episode has become a “news story” and a political “controversy” unto itself validates Watson’s very point!! This state desperately needs elected officials, from the Governor’s office to the leadership of the Legislature to act like leaders and confront the fiscal problems which have converged on the state from every direction.
I am not saying General Assembly leadership, who also were in attendance at the luncheon, have anything to do with the enflaming of the non-story story. They don’t. (To be fair, some elected officials, Speaker Fox notably, have been attending to the fiscal crisis, bringing municipal finance problems to the forefront among other initiatives.) But for a state teetering on the brink of collapse, it appears we can now add the evils of sarcasm and publicly insensitive luncheon laughing to the list of hot button topics (E-Verify, gay marriage, talk radio) which have mostly preoccupied this winter.
Watson’s sarcasm, misplaced, misunderstood or just the recipient of a mystifying amount of attention, is not the problem. If David Quiroa really wants to help the Guatemalan community, he would expand upon Watson’s wider point and admonish the Governor and other Assembly members to get to work on the underlying triggers to the unemployment problem and crushing debt, or there will be no work pretty soon for his community or anyone else living in Rhode Island.
Donna Perry is a Communications Consultant to RISC, the RI Statewide Coalition www.statewidecoalition.com
Related Articles
- The Coming Collapse
- Warning: This Game Is Not for Children
- The Speaker, the Commissioner and the Misguided Governor
- The Grass (Business) Is Always Greener
