The People's Cube - Political Satire

Wrong red button

GENEVA—After promising to “push the reset button” on relations with Moscow, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton planned to present Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a light-hearted gift at their talks here Friday night to symbolize the Obama administration's desire for a new beginning in the relationship.

It didn't quite work out as she planned.

She handed him a palm-sized box wrapped with a bow. Lavrov opened it and pulled out the gift—a red plastic button on a black base with a Russian word “peregruzka” printed on top.

“We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?” Clinton said as reporters, allowed in to observe the first few minutes of the meeting, watched.

“You got it wrong,” Lavrov said, to Clinton's clear surprise. Instead of "reset," he said the word on the box meant “overcharge.”

Clinton and Lavrov guffawed. “We won't let you do that to us,” she said.

Further investigation by ThePeoplesCube has uncovered that the Obama administration has several other "Red Buttons" it will give out in the coming months.

For the American people



For Congress



For Illegal Immigrants



For Obama himself

So, obviously the Russian minisiter received a gift meant for the American people... OVERCHARGE is synonimous with stimulous...

Reactionary class enemies might say it's a little ironic that a big RED button be used for changing the relationship with Russia, as, until Reagan, the relation also revolved around BIG RED BUTTONS!

Luckily, I'm a Made Progressive so I think it's a fantastic gift and our inability to translate demonstrates the need for MORE FUNDING for schools. It's For The Children...

How ironic. These are the people who came to power by accusing their political opponents of being pig-headed and deaf to other cultures and nuances. Now they came up with a symbolic idea that would make little sense in Russian even if it were correctly translated.

Russian is a powerful and flexible language with versatile descriptive means, but there just isn't a short universal word in Russian that embraces all the technical meanings of the elegant English word "reset." Every meaning comes its own long and bulky word or even a phrase. Anyone with a sense of the Russian language would've told them that their idea just doesn't work and they should opt for something different instead.

This happened because either A or B:

a) The Obama administration is made of people who are pig-headed and deaf to other cultures and nuances. Apparently they don't even expect others to have nuances and so they don't bother to consult an expert.

b) Consultants chosen by the Obama administration are useless, unqualified boobs who got hired because they are political hacks, or as a result of favoritism, nepotism, affirmative action, etc.

Either way we're screwed.

Why didn't they just ask comrade Red Square? I would've told them to just give Lavrov the People's Cube. It has no buttons and needs no tricky translation.

Comrade Red Square! My Socialist heart would have swelled with pride to see a People's Cube handed to the Great Lavrov.


It would have been less insulting to the history of Russian/American relations, and funny as hell. As I watched this shit on Faux, red the Politico article, and several other articles about the same story, I couldn't help but think, "How hard would it have been, in Washington DC, to find someone who speaks English and Russian?" Let's see, there's the Russian Embassy. There might also be an intelligence agency or two with Russian linguists. The lack of effort is astounding. This makes "I am a jelly doughnut" look smart.

This wouldn't have happened to Condi Rice who was a professional and spoke Russian.

This is "smarter" diplomacy. Amateur hour indeed.

Red Square wrote:This wouldn't have happened to Condi Rice who was a professional and spoke Russian.

Not to mention that Condi is smarter than the entire current executive branch...

I linked to this topic from the right-hand menu:

"You got it wrong," Lavrov said, to Clinton's clear surprise. Instead of "reset," he said the word on the box meant "overcharge."

Clinton and Lavrov guffawed. “We won't let you do that to us,” she said.

Sounds like a good comeback in English, but in Russian it's just another dumb thing to say.

Hillary's response suggests she understood "overcharge" in economic terms, meaning "charge too much money" or "the difference between an observed market price and a price that would have been observed in the absence of collusion." In that sense, and only in that sense, Hillary's comeback is meaningful and funny.

The problem is that one word can often have several meanings, and they hardly ever coincide in different languages.

In this context, Lavrov had correctly translated "peregruzka" as "overcharge" in strictly electrical terms, meaning "dangerously high voltage." The meaning implied by Hillary would be translated as "obschitat'" or "zavysit' tsenu" - but never "pregruzka."

As a result, to the Russian-speaking audience, Hillary's responding to Lavrov's correction sounded as if she said "We won't let you charge us with too much voltage."

Perhaps the misunderstanding could be avoided if Lavrov had used another appropriate term "overload."

Translation can be tricky that way. For example, if you translate the phrase "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" into Russian, it becomes "the vodka is agreeable but the meat has gone bad."

Another professional translators' joke says that if you translate "out of sight, out of mind" into Russian and then ask someone else to translate the result back into English, it will become "invisible lunatics."

I think its mainly b) Consultants chosen by the Obama administration and/or Hillary are useless, unqualified boobs who got hired because they are political hacks, or as a result of favoritism, nepotism, affirmative action, etc.

IMHO these hacks can't resist any opportunity to throw a shoe at President Bush. Petty, classless children, probably the same idiots who thrashed the Whitehouse as the Clinton's exited in 2001.

Red Square wrote:This wouldn't have happened to Condi Rice who was a professional and spoke Russian.

Oh, pooh-pooh, Red! Who cares about that? The important thing is this:

Still, Clinton has been well received in Brussels, where the Obama administration has been viewed as a breath of fresh air after the unpopular leadership of
George W. Bush
. His secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, often drew protests on her travels.

Being popular, adored and cheered by the masses is all that matters, and don't you forget it!




It makes sense to me that each language would have its own unique colloquialisms and idioms which, in keeping with its rules of grammar/syntax and the corresponding culture of the people who speak said language, won't translate well into other languages. But I never had an Ivy League education, so what the hell do I know?

Add this reset button to the DVDs--which I've heard may not even work in the Browns' European DVD player. Isn't there supposed to be someone in the State Department or protocol office to make sure this nonsense doesn't happen?

Wait'll Obama goes to his first Muslim country. His official gift will be a basket of hams and sausages from Hickory Farms. There's your 6 month crisis Joe Biden was blathering about.

Commissarka Pinkie wrote:
Wait'll Obama goes to his first Muslim country. His official gift will be a basket of hams and sausages from Hickory Farms.

Yeah, that and a bottle of Chivas Regal with a few croissants for dessert.

Speaking of diplomatic blunders:

Daily Telegraph wrote:Barack Obama's offhand approach to Gordon Brown's Washington visit last week came about because the president was facing exhaustion over America's economic crisis and is unable to focus on foreign affairs, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.

Awwah, we have a sleepy Messiah.

Daily Telegraph wrote:
Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been "overwhelmed" by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.
British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.

But Washington figures with access to Mr Obama's inner circle explained the slight by saying that those high up in the administration have had little time to deal with international matters, let alone the diplomatic niceties of the special relationship.

Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president's surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.

A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama's inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to "even fake an interest in foreign policy".

I guess the workload in community agitation wasn't enough to prepare Obama for the daunting task of sitting at the Resolute desk and pouring over hours worth of briefings.

God help us if this lightweight has to make a difficult decision.

Excuse me, but isn't Obama the same guy who, unlike McCain, refused to suspend his campaign and return to Washington to deal with the economic meltdown in October, stating that a real leader needs to stay calm and be able to "multitask" (i.e. run a campaign and vote present on a bailout)?

Oddly enough (or maybe not so odd), the article about Hillary I linked above also implies exhaustion as an excuse for her own gaffes:

Clinton has set herself a grueling pace on visits to Egypt, Israel and Brussels soon after touring the Far East, attending dozens of meetings and giving speech after speech, with little time worked into her schedule for sleep.

Tiredness appeared to show Friday when she answered questions in front of 500 young Europeans at the European Parliament, where she was the highest-ranking U.S. visitor since the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

I'm wondering whether the recent report of Obama's hair graying is real or is it dyed to make him look a little older and more statesman like.

Commissarka Pinkie wrote:Excuse me, but isn't Obama the same guy who, unlike McCain, refused to suspend his campaign and return to Washington to deal with the economic meltdown in October, stating that a real leader needs to stay calm and be able to "multitask" (i.e. run a campaign and vote present on a bailout)?

Oddly enough (or maybe not so odd), the article about Hillary I linked above also implies exhaustion as an excuse for her own gaffes:

Clinton has set herself a grueling pace on visits to Egypt, Israel and Brussels soon after touring the Far East, attending dozens of meetings and giving speech after speech, with little time worked into her schedule for sleep.

Tiredness appeared to show Friday when she answered questions in front of 500 young Europeans at the European Parliament, where she was the highest-ranking U.S. visitor since the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

I would have loved to have seen all the representatives in Brussels leaving the building saying "So much for Change..." and "looks like more of the same US superiority complex and complete lack of desire to understand any culture outside of their own..."

Was there ever a time when the media made the "tired" and "exhausted" excuse for W?

Red Square wrote:Was there ever a time when the media made the "tired" and "exhausted" excuse for W?

Hell no, Comrade! And rightfully so!! But I understand the POTUS... I mean, I really do! When I go to the mall and shop for a while and spend a few hundred CEUs, I'm usually pretty tired by the end. Imagine the exponential increase to the tiredness function when The One spends .8 Trillion CEUs. They're already chalking up these fantastic blunders to tiredness and it's not even been 100 days yet. They have about 1400 more days left to make it through. How will they manage? Their racehorse has just barely left the starting gate and has already started walking.

Last night I combined all my posts here and wrote an article for Pajamas Media -

- https://pajamasmedia.com/blog/how-do-yo ... n-russian/

(will post it on the Cube tomorrow)

Red Square,
It is not fair! The wind blows equally on us all but we arrive at different locations in our lives?
Why is that?
Take you and me for example.
You spend your evenings collecting rants, and forwarded them to Pajama Inc., and will most likely become Vice President to Rush Limbaugh in 2010.

I spent my evening shopping on Ebay and all I got was this lousy switch:

Red Square wrote:Last night I combined all my posts here and wrote an article for Pajamas Media -

- https://pajamasmedia.com/blog/how-do-yo ... n-russian/

(will post it on the Cube tomorrow)

I love the last few lines in your article

Remember Hillary's campaign speech about “invisible Americans?” Well, if you translate “out of sight, out of mind” into Russian, you will get “invisible lunatics.”
Which accurately describes what competent people in this country have become since the last election."

PWNED!

Brilliant segway suggesting Hillary should have offered The Peoples Cube instead of a switch!
I coughed so bad I forgot I smoke.

I dugg your post on Digg:

http://digg.com/political_opinion/Read_ ... Obamantion

Red Square wrote:Was there ever a time when the media made the "tired" and "exhausted" excuse for W?

No. The only excuse they allowed him--and it was never so much an excuse as a cause--was sheer stupidity.

Nor did anyone ever pay attention to what Mrs. Bush or Secretary Rice wore on any given occasion. Hillary, on the other hand:




She looks as if she should have a white cloth draped over one arm, and a tray holding a martini in the other: "Good evening, my name is Hillary and I'll be your server this evening."

She paired the voluminous, unfitted jacket, with black trousers, oversize pearls and pillar box red lipstick.

Unusually, the U.S. Secretary of State had her hair tied back off her face.

Isn't she just gorgeous, guys? Now that she's on the move all the time, do you think Bill misses waking up next to her in the mornings?

Red Square wrote

Was there ever a time when the media made the "tired" and "exhausted" excuse for W?

Commissarka Pinkie wrote

No. The only excuse they allowed him--and it was never so much an excuse as a cause--was sheer stupidity.

Commissar Pinkie, do you suppose the complaints of "tired" and "exhausted" complaints might stem from an Obamanation intoxicated with power?

I can't thing of a better expenditure of my time and energy than to promote the satire, comedy and political wit found on this "Shovel Ready" website as a method to keep the Obamanites from a restful sleep.

White House nightlife under investigation<br>'This party atmosphere sends the wrong message'

Navigator wrote:... found on this "Shovel Ready" website ...

Thanks for the idea. I felt the CHANGE in the header was overdue for quite some time...

Comrade Red Square,

That's absolutely beautiful, and hightly stimulating!! I trust the millions of stimulus CEUs for this shovel-ready project will be distributed amongst the Inner Party?

I made up for the Fox Paws.
I got him an autograph of the real thing.

"Can I start you off with an appetizer, or are you ready to order?"

"Obama and Biden will renew American diplomacy to meet the challenges of the 21st century. They will rebuild our alliances. And they would be willing to meet with all nations, friend and foe, to advance American interests."

Just give Obama and the new administration a chance. You'll see, he'll restore our standing in the world and people will love us agan. It's been 50 days and we've already:

1) Made ourselves a laughing stock in Russia
2) Sold out our East European allies
3) Offended the Brits
4) Weakened ties with the Israelis
5) Pissed off N. Korea
6) Pissed off China

Have I missed any?