Tony Abbott’s language gaffes are a national disgrace.
The Australian media is up in arms about another of Tony Abbott’s language blunders and his misuse of words are not a new thing.
Now, he’s likening the word conservationist to himself and this has critics comparing him to US politician Sarah Palin, whose word choice is also questionable.
And, it’s not the first time he has tried to make a connection between conservative politics and the word conservation.
Just so we’re clear, conservation pertains to the preservation of natural resources and not the saving of natural resources for human consumption.
“I regard myself as a conservationist. Frankly we should rest lightly on the planet, and I’m determined to ensure we do our duty by the future here,”
Tony Abbott has more Palin moments
Language blunders appear to be Abbott’s crowning achievement. Since 2010, the media have connected him and Palin for their language blunders.
One of the first gaffes was when he spoke of taking away unemployment benefits away from people under 30 to force them into the mining sector, with no training or skills.
Language gaffes this week
This week abroad was a bad week for Tony as he has been making international news all over the globe.
“Good luck Mike,” he said to the captain of our Socceroos team in Brazil. Which would be fine if “Mike” wasn’t Mile.
Then, in a press conference in Ottawa, he called the host country, “Canadia”. This gaffe soon became the running joke of Twitter:
Canadia trends on Twitter after Tony Abbott gaffe http://t.co/bgZJ552504 via @smh #auspol
— John McPhilbin (@JohnMcPhilbin) June 9, 2014
So Abbott gets the name of the Socceroo captain wrong. Says Mike, not Mile. Difficult, these foreign names. Perhaps he’s from Canadia. — Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) June 14, 2014
I can see #Canadia from my house.
— Marcus Strom (@strom_m) June 9, 2014
Abbott’s language gaffes in the past
Even before he became Prime Minister, he provided us with excellent examples of his command of the English language.
“No one, however smart, however well educated, however experienced is the suppository of all wisdom.”
– Tony Abbott, Opposition Leader, August 2013
A suppository is tablet you put up your rectum.
Conservationist or Conservative?
Abbott tried to align the word conservationist with the political use of the word conservative before he became Prime Minister in a speech to the AIG in 2012.
While the terms “conservative” and “conservation” have a common root and both involve keeping the best of what we have, Tony’s explanation of their use could not be further from the truth.
Here is what the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary has to say about the origins of the word conserve:
Origin of conserve
Middle English, from Middle French conserver, from Latin conservare, from com- + servare to keep, guard, observe; akin to Avestan haurvaiti he guards
First Known Use: 14th century
There is nothing in this explanation to indicate the word means the best of what we have. That appears to be an explanation you have manifested.
While the word conservationist also originated in the 14th century, the political usage of the word conservative did not enter our language until 1831.
Simply likening two words together, such as conservative and conservationist does not link their meaning. Let’s look at the meaning of some other words that share the same root:
- Conservatory – a room that is part of a house, often annexed.
- Conservatorium – an institution for the study of music.
- Conserve – to preserve by cooking with jam.
Here are similar attempts to link these words:
- The terms “conservative” and “conservatory” have a common root because they both involve segregation.
- The terms “conservative” and “conservatorium” have a common root, because they both involve traditions.
- The terms “conservative” and “conserve” have a common root, because they both involve keeping things a little sticky.
Anyone with a good sense of the structure of language knows that linking two words together because of their roots, is like confusing climate with weather.
And while there is a whole lot of that going on right now particularly in the conservative sphere, you only have to watch Neil deGrasse Tyson’s explanation in Cosmos, to become a little wiser.
The confusion of words
And don’t just take my word for about the confusion of conserve and conservation. Take a look at this extract for a Michigan University Publication on the confusion of words:
The rise of modern day conservatism
Student’s of Australian politics would know that Australia’s conservative movement’s ideology is not a stickler for preserving anything. Like the UK conservative movement, it was formed on the ideas of Edmund Burke, and a general willingness to ‘change in order to conserve’.
But we don’t have to play with words or political history to know whether Abbott speaks the truth about his conservationist leanings. We only need to look at his present actions as they speak louder than words:
- Abolition of the Climate Commission.
- Defunding of the Environmental Defender’s Offices.
- Winding back of World Heritage listing in Tasmania.
- Expansion of the Abbot Point Coal Terminal adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef.
- Abolish the Water Commission in December 2014.
Tell the truth Mr Abbott
Tony is well known for telling furbies and stretching the ‘truth’.
People in powerful positions, especially prime ministers, should use the right words, in the right context. Words have power and they should be wielded with integrity, especially on the world stage.
Everything our politicians do and everything they say is judged.
No amount of conserving the environment or climate change will stand in the way of Tony Abbott’s true motives, and his allegiance to big industry.
Here’s a few words from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott on coal being the foundation of prosperity: