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Denzil_DC

(9,090 posts)

24. It's been called "the past exonerative tense"

Fri Feb 5, 2021, 12:45 AM

Feb 2021

It's often seen in reporting of events like "officer-involved shootings".

This blog post below is among many writings that have examined this linguistic phenomenon.

It cites two examples of constructions describing the same event:

I made a mistake (active voice).
Mistakes were made (passive voice).

In the second sentence above, who was responsible for the mistake? We don't know. Use of the passive voice in this case allows the speaker to admit that something went wrong without admitting who was responsible. For this reason, use of the passive voice in admitting wrongdoing has been called the "past exonerative tense," and is much beloved of politicians and celebrities who find it necessary to sort of apologize for something without actually doing so.

https://bilbosrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/07/past-exonerative.html

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"I was allowed to believe." Why did she say it this way? [View all] halfulglas Feb 2021 OP

Antifa made me do it! dchill Feb 2021 #1

It's weasel words. Word salad with the specific Phoenix61 Feb 2021 #2

Passive voice. Same as "mistakes were made" SoonerPride Feb 2021 #3

Passive voice was absolutely deliberate. ShazzieB Feb 2021 #26

Yes, "allowed to believe" PatSeg Feb 2021 #36

We logical lefties really have a hard time understanding the illogic of the reTHUGS. abqtommy Feb 2021 #4

Implication: not my fault. Passive voice. Mistakes were made. eppur_se_muova Feb 2021 #5

As well it should bother...us. SkeezerRedux Feb 2021 #6

Welcome to our DU family. niyad Feb 2021 #10

It's their fault because they allowed it. lunatica Feb 2021 #7

Remember Flip Wilson and "the devil made me do it." badhair77 Feb 2021 #8

Narcissists I_UndergroundPanther Feb 2021 #9

Yes. n/t Eyeball_Kid Feb 2021 #14

I assume she must mean 'by my mommy and daddy, when I was a little girl' mr_lebowski Feb 2021 #11

I saw a video clip today of Greene. Eyeball_Kid Feb 2021 #18

Heard about that. That's totally normal behavior for a grownup woman mr_lebowski Feb 2021 #20

Gross! ShazzieB Feb 2021 #23

There is a perfectly logical, benign explanation for her behavior in this instance. retread Feb 2021 #38

This was in the long-distant past of 2018 muriel_volestrangler Feb 2021 #30

Great synopsis :) mr_lebowski Feb 2021 #33

Because she represents the party of "personal responsibility"? Guy Whitey Corngood Feb 2021 #12

Greene is looking more like a sociopath Eyeball_Kid Feb 2021 #13

From what I've been reading about her from Ilsa Feb 2021 #19

+1 area51 Feb 2021 #37

I am the victim. KentuckyWoman Feb 2021 #15

"Why didn't anybody tell me I was crazy?" struggle4progress Feb 2021 #16

Passive speech. MTG CHOSE to believe the nonsense. Ilsa Feb 2021 #17

Gaslighting 101 Cosmocat Feb 2021 #21

Assholes like her never admit they were wrong. The wrongness is somebody else's. RockRaven Feb 2021 #22

It's been called "the past exonerative tense" Denzil_DC Feb 2021 #24

Recall how she said what she was looking at online (Qanon conspiracy theories) were things she was Solly Mack Feb 2021 #25

If she's so weak and susceptible to such things kskiska Feb 2021 #27

Her crazy arse let her believe it. CentralMass Feb 2021 #28

Very peculiar word choice. 3catwoman3 Feb 2021 #29

Blame shifting. moondust Feb 2021 #31

I have always Karma13612 Feb 2021 #32

Willy Geist asked if her Mommy and Daddy allowed her to believe that stuff. lagomorph777 Feb 2021 #34

God is in control. nt wiggs Feb 2021 #35