Twisting the Truth

We don’t have to outright lie in order to distort the truth. I used to work with a woman who….well….let’s just say she seemed to sow seeds of discord….and if she didn’t like you, well, she really didn’t like you. I am glad I remained on her good side the whole time we worked together. I saw her distort the truth time and time again…..yet she didn’t lie.

I heard her, many times, repeat a conversation I had been a part of or witnessed…and she did not misquote the words the person said….but she added her own tone, her own spin…and it changed the whole meaning of the conversation!!! It always reflected negatively on the person she was talking about. I was amazed that just by changing the tone of their words, she implied a whole different meaning. Perhaps it was not a conscious thing. Perhaps it was not a malicious thing…..

And there are other ways of twisting the truth. I came upon an article on a site called Truth or Fiction the other day. It was about a widely circulated email about Obama….with quotes that very much reflected negatively. Several were actual lies. Pure fabrications. Most of the legitimate quotes were from his books but they were taken out of context….or snipped halfway through and twisted to say something entirely different than he meant.

I am not an ardent supporter of Obama. I did not vote for him (or anyone). I just happened to come across this while looking for quotes on truth for some recent posts. I am pretty sure there were many Sarah Palin emails going around that were bogus as well. This is just the one I happened to come across. The following is copied verbatim from Truth or Fiction.

Summary of the eRumor:  
A collection of quotes from two books written by Senator Barack Obama that try to highlight his attitudes about race and Islam.

The Truth:  
All but two of the quotes seem to be accurate, but are taken out of context.
One of the quotes does not exist and the one about Islam is fabricated.
Also, whoever constructed this eRumor claims that some of the quotes are from a book by Obama titled Dreams of My Father.  The actual title of Obama's book is Dreams From my Father.

In response to email rumors that have circulated about Obama, his campaign has created a page to respond to the rumors.  CLICK HERE for the "Fight the Smears" page.
(CLICK HERE for a list of other related stories about Barack Obama)
Let's look at them one-at-a-time:

"I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."-Truth!
This is an accurate quote from the introduction to Dreams from My Father.  The book chronicles Obama's experience as the son of an African father and an American mother.
"I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race."-Fiction!
This quote does not exist in either of Obama's books.
"There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white."-Truth!
This is a quote from Dreams from My Father.  It it in a section in which Obama describes a job interview with a man in Chicago.  Race had been a part of their discussion and the full quote is, "There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe.  And white---he'd said himself that was a problem."

It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names."-Truth!
This one is also from Dreams from My Father.  It is from a section when Obama was a college student and wrestling with his identity including as an African-American.  The quote describes his observation of what was required among his fellow students.

"I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, Dubois and Mandela."-Truth!
This is from Dreams from my Father.  The more complete quote is, ""Yes, I’d seen weakness in other men— Gramps and his disappointments, Lolo and his compromise. But these men had become object lessons for me, men I might love but never emulate, white men and brown men whose fates didn’t speak to my own. It was into my father’s image, the black man, son of Africa, that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela."

"I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."-Fiction!
This is a corruption of a quote from Obama's book The Audacity of Hope. It is from a section that talks about the concerns of immigrants who are American citizens.
Here is the accurate and more complete quote:  "Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging.  They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

Updated 5/13/08

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Subject: Obama and his thoughts from HIS BOOKS

I wouldn’t recommend purchasing his books, but checking them out from the public library

and verifying the quotes this is a dangerous individual that has not been truthful, evidently

with very much he has uttered in public. Particularly the last quote!

This guy wants to be our President and control our government. Pay close attention to the last comment!! Below are a few lines from Obama's books " his words:

From Dreams of My Father: "I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."

From Dreams of My Father: "I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race."

From Dreams of My Father: "There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white."

From Dreams of My Father: ; "It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names."

From Dreams of My Father: "I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, Dubois and Mandela."

From Audacity of Hope: "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

Holy Cow ! He's lost his mind, and so has anyone that votes for him ! Go be President of a Muslim country, then !