Skip to main content

The Meaning of Headlines: 'gentlemen's agreement' - politics



The weekly newspaper, Georgian Journal, contained the following headline on the front page of their June 11-17, 2015, edition: ‘A Gentlemen’s Agreeement Without Gentlemen.’ It was referring to the current political situation of Georgian statesmen. But what does a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ mean?

The article is about ex-Prime Minister of Georgia, Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, and whether he allegedly disclosed details of his gentlemen’s agreement with an International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s official.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a gentleman’s or gentlemen’s agreement as ‘an arrangement or understanding, which is based upon the trust of both or all parties, rather than being legally binding.’ Wikipedia adds that it is ‘typically oral, though it may be written, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette.’ It can also be an agreement through a handshake. Often people will say, mostly related to business, ‘Let’s shake on it.’ Hence it ‘relies on the honor of the parties for its fulfilment.’ 

The article does indeed state that ‘No partnership can work without trust between states or business partners – this is an unwritten code of behavior all over the globe. The terms of gentlemen’s agreements must be observed as accurately as those official contracts.’ So the article is emphasizing trust, confidentiality, code of behavior, moral code, and so on – and includes definitions of the type of gentlemen’s agreement.

The article says that if the ex-PM had disclosed details then trust has been broken, confidentiality has been broken, responsibility has been broken, and indeed, reputation has been broken.

The sub-heading of the article states: ‘In Search of a Scapegoat.’ What does a ‘scapegoat’ mean? A scapegoat, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is ‘a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of other, especially for reasons of expediency’ – a whipping boy, a fall guy, a patsy.

The article does suggest a person who has been ‘made a scapegoat’ – a governor of a bank. So in this article, there is much mention of gentlemen’s agreements, the importance of keeping a gentlemen’s agreement so as not to lose trust, reputation, and honor, and the even worse moral breakdown of scrupulously blaming someone else.


Scorecard for the Georgian Journal headline is 100% for grabbing attention, the inclusion of two vivid phrases that more than adequately impart the article’s message, and continually – emphatically even – stressing the phrases to assert that Georgian statesment have lost their honor and reputation in the eyes of the international community and investors alike.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...
2 comments
Read more

The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli (2015 translation): book review

The Knight in the Panther Skin (12th century, this edition 2015) is a recent translation by American poet and author, Lyn Coffin. The author, Shota Rustaveli, is Georgia’s most loved poet. This poem is mammoth, a magnum opus – it is 1,656 verses long, separated by chapters. But readers, don’t give up, because every verse is worth reading. It is akin to 1001 Arabian Knights, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, or Shakespearean poetry. King Rostevan of Arabia has a daughter, Tinatin. She loves the knight Avtandil and he loves her. Verse 368 from Avtandil: ‘The doctor’s could do nothing. A dark twilight on my heart now pressed, I was on fire because of love, but nobody knew or guessed. They blamed my blood. The king decided bleeding my arm would be best; I let it be done to hide the suffering I had not confessed.’ But a knight in panther skin is seen weeping, and subsequently kills the king’s soldiers, sparing the king. Before Tinatin weds Avtandil she r...
Post a Comment
Read more