I Do Not Think That Word Means What You Think It Means
If you’ve been watching the news in the past several weeks, you probably have seen several instances where some show or another has mistakenly referred to Barack Obama as “Osama bin Laden.” I think a couple of times it was someone actually speaking the name and other times it was Obama’s picture with a text graphic identifying him as “Osama bin Laden.” There might have been one case of a picture of bin Laden and a text graphic identifying that picture as “Barack Obama.” Not sure.
Anyway, I had my own Osama/Obama moment today upon reading the front page of The Boston Globe, where one of the headlines reads “Obama’s silence on Imus alarms some blacks.” I had to look twice and wondered why “Osama” would possibly have reason to comment on Don Imus’s recent bigoted remarks, and further, why “blacks” would care what “Osama” thinks about Imus. I was also bewilderedly confused to think, just for a second, that Osama bin Laden 1) listens to shock radio; and 2) that it’s apparently such a non-secret that he does that American newspapers report casually about what’s on his radio dial and how various groups feel about his listening choices.
Hey-O! Boy did I feel like a dimwit, especially after laughing at the fumbling apologies of CNN et. al. for making such a foolish error. So yes, I admit, it’s possible to mix up “Obama” and “Osama.”
Although I was going on a 1-second glance; the news programs doing it had many opportunities to catch the error. Those graphics must pass through several layers of review before they get put up, right? And there must be a whole fleet of producers who see the tape either before or as it’s being prepared for airtime, right? At least I only thought Obama was Osama for a few seconds in the elevator. I didn’t put it on TV and then have to apologize for it. I try and keep my social blunders private. It’s a lot easier when only I have deal with them. They can be my own little secret. Mine and Osama’s. I mean Obama’s.