A Lovely Line, but She Didn't Write It!

[AuntShecky]

As if we didn't need further evidence that Americans are dumber than a 12-lb can of lard, The U.S. Postal Service's recent decision to issue a stamp honoring Maya Angelou (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/04/07/postal-serves-releases-maya-angelou-stamp-with-quote-from-another-author/) was well-intentioned, but a public embarrassment. The late poet produced thousands of eminently quotable lines, but the chosen line wasn't hers. A children's book author, Joan Walsh Anglund, was the original author of the line.

The misinformation infestiing the World Wide Web is one reason for the mistaken attribution; another is the inability or unwillingness to check facts. The problem worsens since Internet users often repeat the initial errors on subsequent postings, until the truth gets buried down deep in cyberspace.

So, tell me, NitLetters, what can we do to prevent public embarrassments such as this? Or can you think of other examples of fiascos caused by misquotes or erroneous attributions?





http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/04/07/postal-serves-releases-maya-angelou-stamp-with-quote-from-another-author/

[Iain Sparrow]

I imagine the most famous misquote wrongly attributed, is "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", or the English equivalent "let them eat cake" uttered by one Queen Marie Antoinette, soon to have her pretty little empty head fall into a basket. It was propaganda at best, and certainly was not original. Marie Antoinette had neither the wit or humor to merit such a quote, would probably have been lost to history if not for a misquote. As for our US Postal Service... let them eat crow!

[Lokasenna]

All official written forms of communication in Wales have to be bilingual, which frequently causes havoc for an officialdom that is usually only English speaking. Hence, it's quite common for there to be oddities on road-signs - though this one takes the biscuit:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7702913.stm

[YesNo]

Apparently Angelou spoke the line in an interview without referencing Anglund: http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/interview-with-dr-maya-angelou-a-muse-who-captivates-audiences


I wrote the book because "Bird Sings Why The Caged I Know" is a song. A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

Perhaps they both came up with the line.

[ennison]

Bird sings why the caged I know!??

[ennison]

I think that is meant to be Why the @&$@ does the caged bird sing?