This is not political..I just can't get it

[DDD]

In reading Time magazine there is this long paragraph and I don't know what it means. I'm relatively sober and I would like to know what to heck I am reading. I'll use X for the name so it is not political.

A political activist "recalls a sad moment from X's campaign. X had been charged with improperly using his father's money to help finance his career. He denied the truth until the last possible moment, when he finally admitted his Dad made it possible for him to lend his campaign
millions." "I looked over and saw this man--thin, in shirtsleeves with frayed cuffs, holding himself in the corner" the activist said. "I thought,
this must be the loneliest man on the planet. And in fact, he turned out to be."

Would the reference be to the Dad?? Why would he be in frayed cuffs
etc.? Would the reference be to the candidate? Why would he be in shirtsleeves holding himself in the corner?

It's not earthshattering but I would like to know "who" is referred to.
Good Grief, it is just a magazine article and I feel like I read the Illiad
or some other college assignment! DDD

 

[house of cards]

I think it refers to X because X is what the paragraph is about. When Dad is mentioned it is by refering to "him" as Dad, make sense?

 

[DDD]

That's what I'm assuming, too. on the other hand why would wealthy people be
forlorn and poorly dressed?? Strange. Thanks for your "read". DDD

 

[Sara PA]

I think the answer is in the earlier paragraphs where the writer is discussing a number of politicians, their relationship with their fathers and their ....issues, shall we say. The moment described is used to illustrate the writer's analysis of those people.

 

[witzend]

I went to Time.com and read the article. I believe the description refers to X, and that it is a poorly written paragraph. I find this to be so in many newspaper/newsmagazine articles that I read.

I think that if you want to refer to "he" or "she" in a paragraph, that somewhere in the paragraph you need to refer to who "he" or "she" is. It's too confusing when you are reading an article and "he" or "last name only" is referring to someone that was mentioned as "District Attorney first and 'Last Name Only'" 15 paragraphs earlier. I shouldn't have to work that hard to figure out who the subject is that is being quoted or referred to.

 

[Star*]

No.......WHO's on FIRST......

 

[DDD]

Thanks guys. NOW I am going to bed without wondering. LOL
DDD

 

[Sara PA]

No.......WHO's on FIRST......

That's right.

 

[Marguerite]

I'm with Witz. Because the earlier text was talking about X and only referring to the father obliquely, then "he" is most likely to be X.

And yes, it is very badly written. The purpose of writing is to communicate, and because this is written so ambiguously, it doesn't communicate effectively.

I've been noticing lately just how sloppy is the writing of many journalists. I've even seen some very bad spelling mistakes in headings, mistakes made by using the wrong spelling of a word (which implies the copy editor doesn't fully understand the origins of his own language).
I do freelance editing at times, when I read I edit. It's perhaps the Aspie component in me.

Marg

 

[TerryJ2]

Good point. It is poorly written. And that does happen a lot. Sigh.