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Direct quote from Sean Spicer: > This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in-person and around the globe If "in-person" doe

Direct quote from Sean Spicer: > This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in-person and around the globe If "in-person" doesn't mean "physically at the inauguration" what does it mean then? It is not ambiguous. Spicer made an unsubstantiated claim, and has since been defensively walking it back to the equally unsubstantiated second part of "around the globe." "The media" is a very broad category, so I am not going to universally defend or attack them. But the Trump administration has simply been making things up and, as of yet, has not backed up any of these statements with evidence. The media is a bit more hit or miss. It is true that some media outlets seem determined to make fun of Trump no matter what he does. That doesn't give Trump a free pass to make up shit. Obama had to deal with the same crap.

VickBear 10y ago
Why are you ignoring the second part of the sentence? He even clarified that he was saying total number of viewership (in person, TV, streaming). There is way more access to watching the Inauguration today than 4 years ago.
AnthonyMouse 10y ago
> If "in-person" doesn't mean "physically at the inauguration" what does it mean then? It is not ambiguous. The ambiguity isn't what "in-person" means, it's what "both in-person and around the globe" means. Does it mean "both 1) in person and 2) around the globe (each independently)" or does it mean "both (the total sum) in person and around the globe"? Obviously the second is more strained, but it's not completely absurd, especially if you allow for the inelegant phrasing common in live briefings. It's easy to find things like this if what you're really looking for is to start a fight.
- jaredklewis 10y ago
  Good point. Of course, it's still total B.S. since they just made the claim up. On the other hand he spent the whole press conference talking about metro ridership, the national parks service, and the physical event, which leads me to think in context that they weren't talking about tv. Never even mentioned the word tv actually.
warrenpj 10y ago
The phrase "both in-person and around the globe" is ambiguous. It could mean either that there were more witnesses in person, and more witnesses around the globe, or it could mean that the total number of witnesses, anywhere, was the largest ever. This is the (terrible) beauty of it: a supporter can believe the former, while the administration needs only to defend the latter. The phrase "alternative facts" too is ambiguous and, in the way it was used by Conway is classical doublethink. Doublethink involves two actions: a public lie and wilful self-delusion. One interpretation (without context) of the phrase "alternative facts" is that the facts are merely unknown and up for debate. But one merely needs to look at a photo of the inauguration to see that the facts are that Obama had higher attendance in 2009. [1] To claim otherwise is a lie. Another is that the _true_ facts are known, but Conway is explicitly stating: these are the facts which I am telling you to believe. This is the wilful self-delusion. From 1984: And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth. "Who controls the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." And yet the past, though of its nature alterable, never had been altered. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory. "Reality control," they called it: in Newspeak, "doublethink." [1] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38716191 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38716191
TheGirondin 10y ago
>> This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in-person and around the globe >If "in-person" doesn't mean "physically at the inauguration" what does it mean then? It is not ambiguous. You're right, it's not ambiguous. "In-person and around the globe" is clearly means viewing on TV or online streaming. You are deliberately ignoring the "around the globe" part to create "alternative facts" of your own.

VickBear 10y ago

Why are you ignoring the second part of the sentence? He even clarified that he was saying total number of viewership (in person, TV, streaming). There is way more access to watching the Inauguration today than 4 years ago.

AnthonyMouse 10y ago

> If "in-person" doesn't mean "physically at the inauguration" what does it mean then? It is not ambiguous. The ambiguity isn't what "in-person" means, it's what "both in-person and around the globe" means. Does it mean "both 1) in person and 2) around the globe (each independently)" or does it mean "both (the total sum) in person and around the globe"? Obviously the second is more strained, but it's not completely absurd, especially if you allow for the inelegant phrasing common in live briefings. It's easy to find things like this if what you're really looking for is to start a fight.

jaredklewis 10y ago
Good point. Of course, it's still total B.S. since they just made the claim up. On the other hand he spent the whole press conference talking about metro ridership, the national parks service, and the physical event, which leads me to think in context that they weren't talking about tv. Never even mentioned the word tv actually.

warrenpj 10y ago

The phrase "both in-person and around the globe" is ambiguous. It could mean either that there were more witnesses in person, and more witnesses around the globe, or it could mean that the total number of witnesses, anywhere, was the largest ever. This is the (terrible) beauty of it: a supporter can believe the former, while the administration needs only to defend the latter. The phrase "alternative facts" too is ambiguous and, in the way it was used by Conway is classical doublethink. Doublethink involves two actions: a public lie and wilful self-delusion. One interpretation (without context) of the phrase "alternative facts" is that the facts are merely unknown and up for debate. But one merely needs to look at a photo of the inauguration to see that the facts are that Obama had higher attendance in 2009. [1] To claim otherwise is a lie. Another is that the _true_ facts are known, but Conway is explicitly stating: these are the facts which I am telling you to believe. This is the wilful self-delusion. From 1984: And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth. "Who controls the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." And yet the past, though of its nature alterable, never had been altered. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory. "Reality control," they called it: in Newspeak, "doublethink." [1] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38716191 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38716191

TheGirondin 10y ago

>> This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in-person and around the globe >If "in-person" doesn't mean "physically at the inauguration" what does it mean then? It is not ambiguous. You're right, it's not ambiguous. "In-person and around the globe" is clearly means viewing on TV or online streaming. You are deliberately ignoring the "around the globe" part to create "alternative facts" of your own.