Mistral Dawn's Musings: Doublespeak At Its Finest

Who Is Mistral Dawn?

Mistral Dawn is a thirty-something gal who has lived on both coasts of the US but somehow never in the middle. She currently resides in the Southeast US with her kitty cats (please spay or neuter! :-)) where she works as a hospital drudge and attends graduate school. Taken By The Huntsman is her first effort at writing fiction and if it is well received she has ideas for several more novels and short-stories in this series. Please feel free to visit her on FaceBook or drop her a line at mistralkdawn@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Doublespeak At Its Finest

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got a little more of Alyce's adventure to share with you, today! Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from Answers From Alyce:
"Given what we've just been discussing, this next exhibit may no longer need explaining, but I'd like to hear what you have to say about it, anyway," said Squid-boy

I shrugged. "It's your circus, sugar, I'm just one of the monkeys."

The small alien blinked at me. "It's refreshing to hear that you acknowledge your primate ancestry, but I would still like your perspective on the next exhibit. Also, this is a museum, not a circus."

I snickered and gestured at the hallway. "Lead on, Macduff."

"What…?" Squid-boy waved his tentacles around his head. "Never mind." He squinted at me. "I often believe you are deliberately attempting to be confusing in your communication."

I widened my eyes and put a hand to my chest. "Me?"

Yax snorted and the shorter alien turned his glare on his colleague who grinned back unapologetically. Making a gurgling sound in the back of his throat, Squid-boy turned and waddled off down the hallway without another word. Yax and I grinned at each other and followed.

It wasn't long before we came upon the next exhibit and I paused to stare at it. A cookie elf was standing at a podium making a speech, and after a few words I knew exactly what this one was about. Groaning, I rolled my eyes and looked at the shorter of my hosts. "Really?"

"At first we barely noticed when this transmission was aired. But, on closer examination, it seemed as if it would be perfect for our museum because, from what we could tell, this individual," Squid-boy waved a tentacle at the robot they had representing the sick joke of a human being standing at the podium, "is attempting to communicate the exact opposite of what his words would seem to mean. It was a paradox that, at least, bore explaining."

I snorted. "No, sugar, it sounds like you understood it just fine."

"I don't understand," said Yax. "It seems as though he is saying that a religious group will be allowed to defend itself by attacking others."

"Yep, that's pretty much what he's saying. The 'Religious Liberty Task Force' he is talking about is intended to make sure that the dominant religion is free to obstruct everyone else's liberty without interference."

The tall alien just blinked at me, so I continued. "Another of the things the First Amendment to our Constitution guarantees is freedom of religion. It also stipulates that the government cannot establish a state religion, which also prohibits the government from favoring one religion over any other religion. In spite of that, some people who belong to the dominant religion continuously try to force their religious views on everyone else using the government." I gestured at the podium. "This guy is one of those people."

"Let me see if I understand," said Squid-boy. "This human," he waved his tentacles at the cookie elf in question, "wishes to use the authority of your government to restrict the freedoms of people who hold religious beliefs that are different from his?"

I nodded. "Yep, you got it."