BlogCritics.org - April 14th,
2010
The Forbidden Political Dictionary: Complete and Unapproved by
John Clifton
Have you ever read The Devil’s
Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce? When I was in my late teens I went
through a stage where I was reading whatever I could get my hands on
about witchcraft. Many girls go through this, probably because when
you’re a teenager you feel like a witch—misunderstood, alienated, and
persecuted. I added The Devil’s Dictionary to my small collection,
bought only on the strength of the front cover which was red and
featured tiny demons.
If you’ve read The Devil’s Dictionary you know that it
is not a book about demonology or witchcraft. Instead, it’s a small
dictionary that offers perverse, ironic definitions of a selection of
terms. It translates what people say into what they mean. For example,
Bierce defined “lawyer” as “one skilled in the circumvention of the
law.” I was not disappointed in this little volume; I found it amusing
and accurate. Even as an adolescent, I was cynical (as defined by
Bierce, a cynic is “a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as
they are, not as they ought to be.”)
Many years have passed, and another slim volume with a
red cover has been published, The Forbidden Political Dictionary -
Complete and Unapproved. Again, it is a dictionary of terms, many of
which did not exist when Ambrose Bierce wrote, with their true
meanings. Written by John Clifton, The Forbidden Political Dictionary
defines “lawyer” as “One versed in litigation and skilled in
prevarication who represents clients and misrepresents facts in order
to beat the law.” Like me, John Clifton is an admirer of Ambrose
Bierce. I know this because I read the foreword to his book, something
he thinks no one will do.
Clifton is also a cynic, which he defines as
“Perceptive person who sees falsity where others see truth and truth
where others see falsity. Cynics are often deemed perverse, nasty
souls, but are actually honest, nasty souls.” His definitions will
strike a chord of familiarity (“interim appointment, n. Sale of a
vacated office”) in those who are exposed to politics, even by
accident.
I was delighted that one of the terms he includes is “yellow dog
Democrat,” one which my father applied to himself until he became a
Republican. My southern husband had never heard that term until he met
me, which I found odd because my father was from Nebraska, my mother
from New York, and I from New Jersey, and we all used it. Clifton
defines “yellow dog Democrats” as “traditional Democrats, identified
with the old South, originally so-named because they ‘would rather
vote for a yellow dog than a Republican.’ Ironically they eventually
became Republicans, presumably even worse than yellow dogs.”
From “academia” to “zoo,” Clifton boldly dares to
cleverly define words of mass disinformation. Yes, he is taking shots
at our political morass, but with a target that big, who could fault
him? The Forbidden Political Dictionary is a perfect book to browse
through, reading a little bit at a time, but I defy you to do that.
Once you start, it’s hard to put down
Bottom Line: Would I buy The
Forbidden Political Dictionary? Of course. I’m a sucker for books with
red covers (and this one would make a great gift for birthdays,
graduates, Father’s Day, etc.).
–
Miss Bob Etier,
BlogCritics.org
Read more:
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-the-forbidden-political-dictionary/page-1/#ixzz0l5H5tPxt
5.0 out of 5 stars - Amazon.com
A Guide To What Politicians Are Really Saying - Highly Recommended!,
April 12, 2010
By CFH "chillnhill" (Blue Ridge Summit, PA USA)
"The Forbidden Political Dictionary" is a very clever
collection of terms used by our elected officials, all clearly defined
so we will know they really mean. This is a fairly thin book at 88
pages of actual content, but does contain just about every political
term and phrase I thought worthwhile to look up.
The author, John Clifton, did a very
good job at masking his political leanings and mostly avoided
definitions that would overly offend any specific ideology. While most
of the entries are what we all *think* when we hear the terms, there
are a few really insightful definitions as well. I particularly liked
the very first entry, "Academia", and the one for "Death Penalty".
This is a good "bathroom book" or as
a gift for the overly political friend (you know, the ones who forward
all of the emails or post endless Facebook links on why the "other"
party is evil).
Highly Recommended!
–
CFH
(TOP 50 Amazon Reviewer)
