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Minnaloushe Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

A straw man's ears are burning.


Somewhere, a straw man's ears are burning. Barack Obama is the most pro-government president since FDR and Woodrow Wilson. Throughout his presidency so far, to the cheers of the news media, he has passionately made the case for the state as the cure for whatever ails us.
This is cited from USAtoday. For more context, please click the URL link.

I understood a straw man is an imaginative enemy. But what does "a straw man's ears are burning" mean?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

"Ears are burning" means someone is talking about the person. The whole sentence is a humorous way to say that Obama's arguments are being made to a caricature of his opponents.

— Vorpar

  • "Ears are burning" means someone is talking about the person.
  • The whole sentence is a humorous way to say that Obama's arguments are being made to a caricature of his opponents.
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10 Answers
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"Ears are burning" means someone is talking about the person.

The whole sentence is a humorous way to say that Obama's arguments are being made to a caricature of his opponents.
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Thank you very much!

Could you or anyone else explain what "pro-government president" means in this context?

Don't Obama and every other former US President stand for the US government?
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It means that he believes that government action is the best way to solve all the problems in the country and the world. There are those who think that government actions are often not the best solution, and the government should limit itself to certain things that really need to be done by the government.
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I thought news and stuff usually have a neutral attitude towards whatever they give to the public. But the excerpt expresses such a biased view as I can see from the language. Did I interpret the manner right?
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SicaI thought news and stuff usually have a neutral attitude towards whatever they give to the public. But the excerpt expresses such a biased view as I can see from the language. Did I interpret the manner right?
This is an opinion piece, so one would not expect it to be entirely neutral. That said, it's surprisingly difficult to find comprehensive and impart
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FYI

Amanpour: CNN practiced self-censorship

Except for CNN or American media, hardly other media outlets are neutral in my view, no matter they are controlled by governments or not.
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In this context, pro-government means increasing the role of the US federal government, shrinking the responsibilities of the state governments.
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MinnalousheFYIAmanpour: CNN practiced self-censorshipI don't try to single out CNN or American media, but hardly media outlets are neutral, no matter they are controlled by governments or not.
Christiane Amanpour is considered to be liberal leaning, pro-Muslim and anti-Israel, so whether her opinion here is entirely unbiased is uncertain.
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We need to read Mars Daily. When Martian journalists reported political news of Earthlings, Martians would be supposed not to hold any political biases against any races and religions, and not to take any sides on any parties or countries.
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MinnalousheWe need to read Mars Daily. When Martian journalists reported political news of Earthlings, Martians would be supposed not to hold any political biases against any races and religions, and not to take any sides on any parties or countries.
Yes, that's about right.
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