BP CEO: "We care about the SMALL PEOPLE."

[muntrv]

:dunce:

[jwirr]

1. A little arrogance there I think. He thinks he is somebody.

[PhoenixFire]

21. Language

English is not his native language. It is very likely that he does not realize the connotation of what he said.

[Quantess]

26. That could be possible.

But, only if it translates exactly into a similiar phrase in his native language. And if there is a similar phrase in that language, we need to know whether it is insulting in that language or not.

I'm going to bet that if there is an equivalent saying, it's condescending in that language too.

[Art_from_Ark]

37. Swedish and English are very close languages

In terms of thought patterns, English is probably closest to the Scandinavian languages. It is very likely he does realize the connotations of what he said.

[Cant trust em]

2. If he would have said "the little guys" would we still have a controversy here? nt

[notesdev]

5. Perhaps...

but it would be more of a mocking type controversy than an outrageous arrogance type controversy

[Subdivisions]

3. Yep ->>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8572146

[thewiseguy]

4. LOL, the guy is a gaffe machine

Biden has got nothing on this guy. looooool

[havocmom]

12. Seems all BP has is goof offs and gaffe offs

Oh, a few jerk offs too, I suppose.

[zonkers]

39. But the gaffes matter little. Their stock goes up, they run the clock out pretending to look busy &

they move on messing up the world and lining their pockets.

[Captain Hilts]

15. This is not Hayward, it's the Swedish CEO. nt

[Bluebear]

6. Leona Helmsley lives.

[Poboy]

23. Or Darby O'Gill?

[elehhhhna]

7. He is not a native english speaker. please.

[monmouth]

8. Agree. Let's cut this guy a little slack. n/t

[HereSince1628]

9. So, help me out. WHAT???? could that possibly mean in any modern language?

It seems clear enough. How on Earth can that be taken to mean anything other than "We will take care of the people who are not as "LARGE" as the mega-corporation BP."

The class stratification is blatant in all languages.

Let me help interpret this in Kaptialist terms that an average proletariat would grasp...

BP is bigger than the biggest BOYAR. They are promising to take care of the smallest SERF.

Even the least literate living on the Gulf Coast know how that dichotomy of class has worked out over the ages.

[elehhhhna]

11. how facile are you in various foreign languages? molehill, meet mountain.

[HereSince1628]

16. I read Latin, Greek, Portugese and Spanish, I have minimal conversational skill in

Russian and German. The later because my grandmother cared for me in preschool and she spoke no English. I actually can't speak German but understand a surprising amount when it is spoken to me.

[HereSince1628]

18. So having "come out" about my language, please answer MY question

And quit using empty attacks as a mode of making your point.

Yeb vass.

[elehhhhna]

19. and you would never make an improper word selection while speaking Russian or Greek?

YOU READ 4 LANGUAGES, I'd expect you to understand this better than most. OOPS sorry about the caps.

[laughingliberal]

28. I actually took it to be used in the same way we say, "the little guy." As in "standing up for

the little guy." I believe the problem was with translation. I did not take it badly and I'm ill inclined, as anyone familiar with me can attest, to defending fat cats.

[dipsydoodle]

13. ditto

Just a conversational error - something lost in translation and extemely childish for anyone to pick up on.

[Captain Hilts]

17. Exactly. nt

[havocmom]

10. As he said that, the very small ( in every sense of the word) CEO Hayward was behind him

:rofl: 'Oh, yeah, we care about the small people, who do our bidding, right Hayward? Hayward? Oh, there you are.'

[Captain Hilts]

14. Give the guy a break. His English is better than your Swedish. nt

[laughingliberal]

29. Oh, good point! Lol! nt

[WeDidIt]

20. TRANSLATION: "We care about our Board of Directors"

:evilgrin:

[spanone]

22. how small?

[laughingliberal]

30. hobbits. nt

[corpseratemedia]

24. midgets

[undeterred]

25. Beg pardon, but Brits don't speak English.

:hide:

[laughingliberal]

31. Brits do speak English. Carl-Henric Svanberg, however, is Swedish. eom

[Hannah Bell]

32. most swedes speak english very well. especially international businesspeople & diplomats.

[laughingliberal]

33. colloquial expressions are tricky. This didn't strike me as an insult. nt

I think he was going for 'standing for the little guy.' We can argue if it was sincere but I don't think he meant to call people 'small.'

[Hannah Bell]

34. i'm sure he had no intention to insult anyone, but he's a corporate exec. they get rich by screwing

"the little guy".

thus anytime they invoke the little guy, it's a joke.

[laughingliberal]

36. As I said, we can argue the sincerity but I don't think he intended an insult. nt

[AsahinaKimi]

27. I am 5'.0" ..do I qualify??

Or does he mean anyone under five foot?

[Rex]

35. Classy yet offensive while trashing the planet and getting a blowjob from the

government! Can't say I blame them. Me? Well this 'little person' would have their heads piked, but that is British law for you! We Americans are soft and will let anyone pillage our Treasury, not like the British are the first to do so. Me personally I'm beginning to wonder if they have the brains to close off the Trench of Great Ejaculation(tm).

[JBoy]

38. It wasn't the CEO, it was the Chairman. Different people.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

40. This infuriated the fuck out of me....

And I am surprised more people here aren't infuriated about it. It terribly offended the hard working people down in the gulf, being called small, as if they are some how LESS than the oil execs or their buddies. I swear what happened to you guys? If this had been three years ago, this place would have been on fucking fire over this.
Duckie

[Ilsa]

41. I'm sensitive, but not about this. I'll happily cut him slack. I'd rather go after

Barton and Limbaugh over the "slush fund" comment about the escrow account.