Monday, November 19, 2012

Denial Personified


de·ni·al [dih-nahy-uhl]
noun
1. an assertion that something said, believed, alleged, etc. , is false: Despite his denials, we knew he had taken the purse. The politician issued a denial of his opponent's charges.
2. refusal to believe a doctrine, theory, or the like.
3. disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.
4. the refusal to satisfy a claim, request, desire, etc. , or the refusal of a person making it.
5. refusal to recognize or acknowledge; a disowning or disavowal: the traitor's denial of his country; Peter's denial of Christ.
6. Law . refusal to acknowledge the validity of a claim, suit, or the like; a plea that denies allegations of fact in an adversary's plea: Although she sued for libel, he entered a general denial.
7. sacrifice of one's own wants or needs; self-denial.
8. Psychology . an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.
Origin:
1520–30; deny + -al
Related forms
non·de·ni·al, noun
pre·de·ni·al, adjective
re·de·ni·al, noun
Synonyms
1.  disavowal, disclaimer, repudiation.
Antonyms
1.  admission, acknowledgment, confession.
Use "denial" in a sentence
At a recent gathering of Republican Governors in Las Vegas, the gathering showed themselves to be in complete denial of the facts by claiming that the recent re-election of the president as not repudiation o their policies.

WHAT!?

Yes, you heard it right, folks! According to a story I heard yesterday on NPR, the Republican Governors at their meeting in Los Vegas, rather than admitting that their policies – you know, their antiquated stance on social issues, their draconian immigration policy, and their repeatedly dis-proven fiscal assertion that massive tax breaks to people who will only stash them in off-shore tax havens somehow benefits the economy – their POLICIES were not what lost them the election; it was their candidate that really lost them the election.

Their line of reason seemed to be that if only they had reached-out to the Hispanic population and explained to them more fully why they want to be able to pull over everyone and demand to see their papers it would be a good thing! They seem to believe that if they only tell women why forcing them into a trans-vaginal ultrasound before they can have a medical procedure that is both legal and a very personal decision is a sound healthcare policy and ultimately good for them!

Oh god, no! It seems that their line of argument is that they didn't do enough advertising of their positions! And just when I was beginning to hope that the failure of the Super-PACs and their outrageous claims wasn't something they would try again after it failed to change the status quo. It now appears that this is not over.  I guess Randy Bachman had it right.

Wherever you are today I hope you will speak out against the obscene campaign just concluded. Encourage your candidate to practice responsible campaigning! Otherwise…

"You ain't seen nothin' yet
B-B-B-Baby, you just ain't seen nothin' yet
Here's something that you never gonna forget
B-B-B-Baby, you just ain't seen nothin' yet
You need educated…"

Don Bergquist – November 19, 2012 – Lakewood, Colorado, USA

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