An Important Message, Which Has Nothing to do with Spelling.

Posted on by

Neale left an important tip on our news tab, about a video which erstwhile-funny-mang Jim Carrey made, in support of human rights. I have quoted the short, AP article, which I ganked from the NYT, below.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jim Carrey has made a straight-to-YouTube video. And it’s not funny at all.
The 45-year-old actor-comedian — in rare serious mode — appears in a new public service announcement on behalf of the Human Rights Action Center and the U.S. Campaign for Burma. The goal: To free Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been confined by the Burmese government for 11 of the last 17 years.
”Even though she’s compared to a modern-day Ghandi or Nelson Mandela, most people in America still don’t know about Aung San,” Carrey says in the filmed message, posted Tuesday on YouTube.
”And let’s face it: the name’s a little difficult to remember. Here’s how I did it: Aung San sounds a lot like `unsung,’ as in unsung hero. Aung San Suu Kyi is truly an unsung hero.”
Suu Kyi, who is under long-term house arrest in the city of Yangon, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her nonviolent efforts to bring down the oppressive military regime that rules over the Southeast Asian country.
The regime, led by General Than Shwe, has destroyed more than 3,000 villages in eastern Burma — forcing more than a 1.5 million people to leave their homes — and recruited more child soldiers than any other country in the world, Carrey says in his spot.
”People around the world need to come to her aid, just as they supported Mandela when he was locked up,” said Jeremy Woodrum, co-founder of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, in a statement Tuesday.
”This announcement contributes to an upsurge in activism around Aung San Suu Kyi in the United States and throughout the world.”

Now I am tempted to annoy our veddy good, veddy smart Sree-chettan (oh, would that I were three and could get away with calling him SAJA-chetta) and ask him a question which has nothing to do with spelling, at all. If I did ask him a question, which had nothing to do with spelling, I would be inquiring for my own edification about whether an august newspaper like The New York Times is allowed to tweak things which they get from the Associated Press.

I am tempted to bug him (and on what better day than Raksha Bhandan!), but then I remember, the only person who is smarter than a veddy smart Journalism professor is the wife of a veddy smart Journalism professor! And our Roopa-chechi, well, she has twin toddlers. She doesn’t have time for my nonsense. 😉

In any case, I will excuse myself and get out of your way, so you can debate and discuss this most significant news story; I’m being sincere when I say that Aung San Suu Kyi deserves your attention.

And a properly-spelled story.

19 thoughts on “An Important Message, Which Has Nothing to do with Spelling.”

  1. Looks like NYT has already fixed the spelling! That apart I am surprised no country has done anything about Aung San Suu Kyi’s cause so far.

  2. Looks like NYT has already fixed the spelling!

    What, so they deserve a cookie? 😉

    I keed, I keed!

    It is a bit depressing, though. That has to be one of the most ubiquitous “brown” words one encounters…

  3. 2 · A N N A That has to be one of the most ubiquitous “brown” words one encounters…

    not to be pedantic (well, yes, to be pedantic), but “most ubiquitous” is wrong–ubiquitous means “everywhere” so can’t take a modifier like “most.”

    Sorry, Anna–love your posts! 🙂

  4. Thank you.

    When I memorized ubiquitous lo those decades ago for a cursed spelling be, I had to remember its definition as “often encountered”, lest I get a beatdown. It’s hard to shake that disease, you know? 🙂

  6. I only knew that because I’ve been called out on it myself!

    Well, tell those ultra-persnickety pedants that when I checked it a few minutes ago, the middle definition on Google:define vindicates both of us. So SUCK ON IT. 😀

  10. I have nothing to say on this topic, but wanted to respond before it de-evolved into how the New York Times loss of journalistic integrity caused the Iraqi War and became a 400 count behemoth that was hard to read.

  11. If, like my wife, you are wondering why I got dragged into this by Anna, it’s not not because I once lived in what was then Rangoon (nor because my father happens to be flying there tomorrow for a short trip), but because of this item: Ghandi vs Gandhi.

  13. If we’re going to talk about ubiquitous, I’d like to nominate the “Be the change you wish to see in the world” quote, so often attributed to “Ghandi.” Amusingly enough, at my university early last year they did a social justice thing where they quoted “Indira Ghandi” (somewhat out of context, as I recall). I guess because one Gandhi is as good as another.

  14. Do people misspell “Gandhi” because they think it should be spelled like “Ghana”? I’m not trying to be snarky or elitist, but is it really that hard to spell? If I can spell “Favre” or “Krzyzewski,” shouldn’t “Gandhi” pose fewer problems?

  15. Google Ghandi – the first (of about 2,540,000 results) is the Wikipedia page for Mahatma Gandhi.

  16. The Indian defense establishment has certainly been caught with it’s knickers down ’round the ankles, when it comes to involvement with both sides of the Burma/Myanmar conflict–both the government and the rebels. Some governments are actually calling out India on their support for a brutal, military regime (are there any other kinds?) who engages in whatever kinds of actions it deems necessary with relative impunity.

    MM, such embarrassments are only for those hypocritical enough to claim the moral high ground. We Indians never had a problem dirtying our hands in the domestic issues of our neighbors.

    Su Kyi’s imprisonment, Tibet, Northeast, Nepal – they are all blights on India’s claim to regional superpower-hood. Is that a word?

  17. Su Kyi’s imprisonment, Tibet, Northeast, Nepal – they are all blights on India’s claim to regional superpower-hood. Is that a word?

    I would have used “regional hegemon” to achieve the same meaning.