BP chairman talks about the 'small people,' further angering gulf residents
BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg attempted an earnest apology Wednesday for the worst environmental accident ever to befall America, but it will be remembered for only two words: SMALL PEOPLE, now the title of a new novelty satire song based on Randy Newman's song SHORT PEOPLE with new lyrics by Danny Bloomicelli that go like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NvgLkuEtkA
AS REPORTED IN WASHINGTON POST HERE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/16/AR2010061605528_Comments.html
''Small people'' got no reason
''Small people'' got no reason
''Small people'' got no reason
To want big answers from Carl-Henree
Or even small answers from big Bee-Pee
They got small hands
Small eyes
They walk around
Tellin' small kinds of lies
They got small noses
And small small teeth
They wear oil-stained shoes
On their oil-soaked feet
Well, I don't want no ''Small people''
Don't want no ''Small people''
Don't want no ''Small people''
`Round here on my drillin' rig
''Small people'' got nobody
''Small people'' got nobody
''Small people'' got nobody
to hear their pleas at BP - (please!)
They got little small legs
That stand so low
On the oil-soaked beach
Oh what they don't know!
They got small minds
That go ''BP BP BP''
They got small voices
Goin' 'BP BP BP''
They got small oily fingers
And small oily minds
They're gonna get you every time
Well, I don't want no small people
Don't want no ''Small people''
Don't want no ''Small people''
'Round here on my drillin' rig....
6/17/2010 1:05:43 AM websposted at WASH POST DOT COM
BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg attempted an earnest apology Wednesday for the worst environmental accident ever to befall America, but it will be remembered for only two words:
small people
Svanberg came with other BP executives to the White House, where he said President Obama made clear that he is "frustrated because he cares about the small people."
"And we care about the small people," added Svanberg, who is Swedish. "I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care. But that is not the case indeed. We care about the small people."
Just like that, a new slogan was born. It sardonically swept through cyberspace and landed in the gulf, where it was greeted with no more enthusiasm than the unrefined crude gushing from BP property.
"We're not small people. We're human beings. They're no greater than us. We don't bow down to them. We don't pray to them," said Justin Taffinder of New Orleans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NvgLkuEtkA
AS REPORTED IN WASHINGTON POST HERE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/16/AR2010061605528_Comments.html
''Small people'' got no reason
''Small people'' got no reason
''Small people'' got no reason
To want big answers from Carl-Henree
Or even small answers from big Bee-Pee
They got small hands
Small eyes
They walk around
Tellin' small kinds of lies
They got small noses
And small small teeth
They wear oil-stained shoes
On their oil-soaked feet
Well, I don't want no ''Small people''
Don't want no ''Small people''
Don't want no ''Small people''
`Round here on my drillin' rig
''Small people'' got nobody
''Small people'' got nobody
''Small people'' got nobody
to hear their pleas at BP - (please!)
They got little small legs
That stand so low
On the oil-soaked beach
Oh what they don't know!
They got small minds
That go ''BP BP BP''
They got small voices
Goin' 'BP BP BP''
They got small oily fingers
And small oily minds
They're gonna get you every time
Well, I don't want no small people
Don't want no ''Small people''
Don't want no ''Small people''
'Round here on my drillin' rig....
6/17/2010 1:05:43 AM websposted at WASH POST DOT COM
BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg attempted an earnest apology Wednesday for the worst environmental accident ever to befall America, but it will be remembered for only two words:
small people
Svanberg came with other BP executives to the White House, where he said President Obama made clear that he is "frustrated because he cares about the small people."
"And we care about the small people," added Svanberg, who is Swedish. "I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care. But that is not the case indeed. We care about the small people."
Just like that, a new slogan was born. It sardonically swept through cyberspace and landed in the gulf, where it was greeted with no more enthusiasm than the unrefined crude gushing from BP property.
"We're not small people. We're human beings. They're no greater than us. We don't bow down to them. We don't pray to them," said Justin Taffinder of New Orleans.
posted by dan at 10:10 PM
7 Comments:
BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg attempted an earnest apology Wednesday for the worst environmental accident ever to befall America, but it will be remembered for only two words:
small people
Svanberg came with other BP executives to the White House, where he said President Obama made clear that he is "frustrated because he cares about the small people."
"And we care about the small people," added Svanberg, who is Swedish. "I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care. But that is not the case indeed. We care about the small people."
Just like that, a new slogan was born. It sardonically swept through cyberspace and landed in the gulf, where it was greeted with no more enthusiasm than the unrefined crude gushing from BP property.
"We're not small people. We're human beings. They're no greater than us. We don't bow down to them. We don't pray to them," said Justin Taffinder of New Orleans.
Dude, what you saw there was a glimpse into EXACTLY HOW THE GUYS AT THE TOP OF BIG CORPORATIONS REALLY THINK!!!!!!!!
They live in a world where everyone they know is everyone who shares the executive floor with them, and they have frequent interactions with cowtowing toadies who tell them, on a regular basis: "We want to be YOOOOOU! WE DOOOOOOOOO, WE REALLY REALLY DOOOOOOO!!!" "BECAUSE YOU GET SO MUCH MONEYYYYYY, YOU GET TO OWN YOUR OWN AIRPLAAAAAAANE!! YOU GET HOOOOOOOOOOKERS WHO WON'T TELL YOUR TROPHYYYY WIIIIIFE! I WANT HOOOOKERS! I WANT AN AIRRRRRRPLANE!!"
This is their fucking twisted world. This is how it looks to them. There is only money, and how to get more of it, and how to avoid paying taxes on it...and the governments they need to buy to write the laws that let them get more money. That's it. That's all of it, in its entirety.
Anything of anyone outside of that calculus is "small", "a distraction", "an issue for some underling to handle", "an annoyance".
To expect that these small people would actually impact you in your little world of money, and hookers, and airplanes, and leather seats??? Are you kidding me? That is unthinkable!!!
It's so unthinkable, that Tony blurted out, "I want my life back".
The life he wants back?
It's described above.
Fuck.
These.
People.
English is not his first language. People say they have to be pro little guy all the time, but no one wants to be that little guy. Its a figure of speech that he got confused. I hate all that BP has done, but an unfortunate choice of words is the least of my concern.
dear anon 2: above
Yes, something did get ''lost in translation'', he was using a Swedish
idiom for "little people" that means people who often get overlooked
by big government, it WAS an unfortunate use of English words, but he
did not mean it the way the media is making it out to be, BUT at the
same time, BP is deep doo doo.......
and Anon #1 above:
yes yes yes.
you
are
right.
hearing you
loud and
clear
sigh
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2389
"The small people" = "den lilla människan"?June 17, 2010 @ 4:49 am · Filed by Ben Zimmer under Lost in Translation
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BP's chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg has been taken to task for a statement he made to reporters after a meeting with President Obama and other White House officials: "I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are really companies that don’t care, but that is not the case in BP, we care about the small people."
The Economist's new language blog Johnson chalks up Svanberg's unfortunate wording to his lack of fluency in English, suggesting that he "may have heard a venerable American phrase, 'the little guy,' and tried to use it, simply misremembering slightly." On Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall speculates that "the small people" was the result of a "phrase in Swedish he might have been carrying over into English." And indeed, BP spokesman Toby Odone told the Associated Press that "it is clear that what he means is that he cares about local businesses and local people. This was a slip in translation."
Around the blogosphere, Swedish speakers have further explained "the small people" as a translation of the phrase "den lilla människan." There's a bit of disagreement, however, about how condescending that phrase might be in Swedish.
In the comments on the Washington Post's 44 blog, "kentnilsson8″ writes:
I am Swedish and would easily make same mistake as Svanberg did. In Sweden we often talk about "den lilla människan" this translates to "the small human" in direct translation. However this is not insulting at all but is used as a tender name that express a humans vulerability to circumstances and events beyond their control. So, in this case it means the individual is small in the sense that when an ocean is suddenly filled with oil, one person can not do much by him or herself.
On Balloon Juice, we hear from "Thaswede":
It was just an error in translation from his part.
He tried to translate a Swedish saying into English and it went wrong. In Sweden we often say “den lilla människan” (lit: “the little human”) when we talk about someone or a group of people who either is up against larger forces or odds, or simply have been unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle between (much) bigger and more powerful players/forces/events.
On the ABC News blog Political Punch, Martin Olsson pitches in:
I am a native speaking swede and in this context we would say "Den lilla människan".
That translates directly into "small people".
For us swedes, "den lilla människan" would refer to a person or group of people who are not in control of their own destiny and in need of help.
But on the same blog, Fredrik Andersson disagrees with Olsson's interpretation:
What are you talking about? The Swedish phrase "den lilla människan" is just as demeaning in swedish as it is in english, "small people". Stop representing us Swedes Martin! That is clearly a degrading comment in either language.
Josh Marshall sums up the moral of the story: "Given how bad a situation BP is in right now, I'm not sure it was a hot idea to have their non-native English speaking Chairman speak off the cuff in front of the TV cameras."
(Hat tip, Danny Bloom.)
June 17, 2010 @ 4:49 am · Filed by Ben Zimmer
Josh Marshall sums up the moral of the story: "Given how bad a situation BP is in right now, I'm not sure it was a hot idea to have their non-native English speaking Chairman speak off the cuff in front of the TV cameras."
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