: do not give in to evil but proceed ever more boldly against it :

Offense Taking is an Artform

And this woman is a master-class artist!

But maybe I’m just the pot calling the kettle black . . .

First step to being a master-class offense taker? Fail to understand language. Check.

Second step to being a master-class offense taker? See all communication through the prism of race (or gender, or political affiliation, etc.). Check.

Here’s a preview into the article:

In my talk, I included the time-honored saying, “the pot calls the kettle black.” Afterward, the African American woman who was the leader of the training program (a good friend of mine, incidentally), came to me in something of a dither. “Do you realize what you said?” she asked. “That is very offensive to black people.”

I said, “Look, Linda, the saying refers to a pot and a kettle hanging on hooks over a fire.  That’s the way they cooked in medieval times.  It means that both pot and kettle become blackened by the fire.  The analogy is that when you criticize someone else while ignoring your own faults, this is like the “pot calling the kettle black.”  Both pot and kettle are black.  Of course, she simply responded that it doesn’t matter what the real meaning of the saying is . . .

(HT: The Corner)

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July 11, 2008 | Filed Under Business, Culture, Politics 

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