Politicians, diplomats, and business people seem incessantly to label particular actions, statements, or developments that contravene or contradict their purposes as "unhelpful." Of course they're unhelpful; that's their intent. Saddam Hussein undoubtedly saw the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq as unhelpful, as Enron surely believed that the government's prosecution of its endemic corruption was unhelpful, too.
A Reuters India report yesterday underscored the helplessness of being unhelpful. It may be the only authority with any clout over the diabolical leaders of the Burmese military junta, but China has predictably ruled out calling for sanctions against Burma or even the standard United Nations condemnation of Burmese officials for suffocating democracy and development and quashing the current uprising in its customary bloodthirsty manner. "We believe that sanctions (are) not helpful for the situation down there," China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya told Reuters.
Unhelpful to whom and why? These are the questions we must ask when somebody opines in the conference room or on the editorial pages that a certain action or statement is unhelpful. Yes, pushing the cruel and downright bizarre Burmese officialdom to do the right thing is absolutely unhelpful to China. Beijing wants unbridled access to Burma's extraordinary gas reserves and other natural resources, so it plays nice with Burma as it does with the criminal gangs running Sudan and Zimbabwe. However, the removal and punishment of Burma's junta would be helpful in the extreme to the brave, beautiful monks whose skulls are being crushed - literally - to the Burmese people, the region, the planet, and every value an evolved humankind is supposed to hold dear.
The Allies were decidedly unhelpful to Hitler. Police are sometimes unhelpful to criminals. Hell, the Boston Red Sox can be decidedly unhelpful to the New York Yankees. So when people spout the "unhelpful" line, sometimes to quiet a reasonable and helpful question or comment in a staff meeting, ask them about their perspective and interests in the matter. The word can be otherwise too subjective, too political, and too vague to be particularly helpful.
A Reuters India report yesterday underscored the helplessness of being unhelpful. It may be the only authority with any clout over the diabolical leaders of the Burmese military junta, but China has predictably ruled out calling for sanctions against Burma or even the standard United Nations condemnation of Burmese officials for suffocating democracy and development and quashing the current uprising in its customary bloodthirsty manner. "We believe that sanctions (are) not helpful for the situation down there," China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya told Reuters.
Unhelpful to whom and why? These are the questions we must ask when somebody opines in the conference room or on the editorial pages that a certain action or statement is unhelpful. Yes, pushing the cruel and downright bizarre Burmese officialdom to do the right thing is absolutely unhelpful to China. Beijing wants unbridled access to Burma's extraordinary gas reserves and other natural resources, so it plays nice with Burma as it does with the criminal gangs running Sudan and Zimbabwe. However, the removal and punishment of Burma's junta would be helpful in the extreme to the brave, beautiful monks whose skulls are being crushed - literally - to the Burmese people, the region, the planet, and every value an evolved humankind is supposed to hold dear.
The Allies were decidedly unhelpful to Hitler. Police are sometimes unhelpful to criminals. Hell, the Boston Red Sox can be decidedly unhelpful to the New York Yankees. So when people spout the "unhelpful" line, sometimes to quiet a reasonable and helpful question or comment in a staff meeting, ask them about their perspective and interests in the matter. The word can be otherwise too subjective, too political, and too vague to be particularly helpful.