• acargitz
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    18
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    1 year ago

    It’s actually a spectrum of disavowal of responsibility:

    • It’s not happening.
    • Even if it is happening, it’s not our fault.
    • Even if it is our fault, there is nothing we can do.
    • Even if there is something we can do, it’s too late to do anything.

    It’s just that the first stage (denialism) is starting to become untenable.

    • @Syd
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      41 year ago
      • Even if it isn’t too late to do something it’s the others that should do it
      • Even if we are the ones that should do something, it’s down to everyone individually so no job for the politicians
      • Even if it is down to the state, sorry it’s too expensive.
    • @donnachaidh
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      21 year ago

      Ah yes, the standard Foreign Office response in a time of crisis. The tactic does not get old.

      • acargitz
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        61 year ago

        THANK YOU! I was trying to remember where my brain dug this up from and I couldn’t pinpoint it.

        • Bernard Woolley : What if the Prime Minister insists we help them?
        • Sir Humphrey Appleby : Then we follow the four-stage strategy.
        • Bernard Woolley : What’s that?
        • Sir Richard Wharton : Standard Foreign Office response in a time of crisis.
        • Sir Richard Wharton : In stage one we say nothing is going to happen.
        • Sir Humphrey Appleby : Stage two, we say something may be about to happen, but we should do nothing about it.
        • Sir Richard Wharton : In stage three, we say that maybe we should do something about it, but there’s nothing we can do.
        • Sir Humphrey Appleby : Stage four, we say maybe there was something we could have done, but it’s too late now.

        https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751831/characters/nm0001329

        • @stepan
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          31 year ago

          deleted by creator