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jeffhoard jeffhoard
 
M$1 September 12, 2009 12:41 AM

How "spontaneous" was Joe Wilson's outburst?

An interesting take on the the Joe Wilson town-hallesque outburst from Psychology Today.

--quote--
Think about it. If you were one of the (probably) dozen press photographers in the chamber last night, generally taking pictures of the Congressmen and Senators during the speech, and if you suddenly heard a two-word, one-second outburst coming from somewhere in the chamber, uttered by one of the 535 members of Congress (okay, one of the Republicans), there is no way you could take a (well focused and neatly centered) picture of the culprit during the second word of the outburst. Whoever took the picture must have anticipated the outburst
--/quote--

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33749589@N07/3911204944/
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gno gno
 
 September 12, 2009 02:34 AM
It's a very valid theory, as I wouldn't put it past members of either American political party to pull a stunt like this. But I remain unconvinced that the photographer knew what was coming.

I have an easier time, in this digital age, believing that some broad shots were being taken during that time of all the Congressmen and Senators--especially considering how venomous reactions had been from the start of the speech. They were probably snapping hundreds of photos of the gallery by that point in the speech.

Then just go through the "film", find the right gallery shot, zoom, focus, sharpen image, and voila! You have a candid image of a Senator jackassing for publicity.

Now, what I AM more suspicious of is how well rehearsed the "spontaneous outburst was". I'm sure Joe was cackling with his interns about his planned verbal outburst hours before the speech even started. The man loves to pull stunts. Ugh. And yes, he's exactly the type to hire press to record it all.

But I still say this photo is a "gift" of the digital age, and likely nothing more.


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Helpful: andrew44232

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chriswinga... chriswinga...
 
September 12, 2009 02:37 AM
I wish the Daily Show wasn't on break, Stewart would have a field day with this!

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gno gno
 
September 12, 2009 03:44 AM
Oh, I'm sure he still will! He can't pass this up.

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chriswinga... chriswinga...
 
September 12, 2009 02:46 PM
Neither can Colbert!

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Other Answers (8)

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chriswinga... chriswinga...
 
September 12, 2009 01:33 AM
Well one question to ask about this if Wilson's outburst was spontaneous at that moment would be if he knew right when to display his outburst. Which might mean inside info on the President's speech perhaps?

And as for the photo, maybe it was one of those "right place, right time," moments that happens to people now and then.

I hope this made sense. lol

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Voted as best: kerryk
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theearlysh... theearlysh...
 
September 12, 2009 02:03 AM
I, too, think it was a right place/right time scenario. The President was specifically talking to them so while there was going to be some cameras elsewhere, I wouldn't see why there wasn't any directly on them.

That being said, I think he was planning on saying it at some point. Couldn't tell you if he knew when he'd say it but the President was going through bullet points at that point in time, so it's possible he was gearing up as those developed.

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Voted as best: kty2777
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javamama javamama
 
September 12, 2009 06:00 AM
I think he planned it, but, he didn't get the support he wanted in the end so he blamed it on his "emotions". The mob mentality is being fueled by a lot of people over these touchy issues. Thank goodness there are still enough who have some class and they know how and when to disagree without resorting to clownish outbursts.

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a_mad_moog... a_mad_moog...
 
September 12, 2009 08:57 AM
I agree with you. It seems too unlikely for the photographer to get a shot of him that fast during his outburst unless the photographer was some sort of stalker already focusing on Joe Wilson during the event.

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a_mad_moog... a_mad_moog...
 
September 12, 2009 09:00 AM
@javamama I agree with you. It seems too unlikely for the photographer to get a shot of him that fast during his outburst unless the photographer was some sort of stalker already focusing on Joe Wilson during the event.

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domr94 domr94
 
September 12, 2009 10:55 AM
Very spontaneous

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legaleagle legaleagle
 
September 12, 2009 02:19 PM
I know JOE WILSON, and I can tell you it was SPONTANEOUS, without doubt. He is a very conservative representative, with a high degree of support, in a pre-dominently white, conservative district. He is very much a man, not a sissy, and the mere fact that photographers and video cameras picked it up is a no-brainer. The chamber is carefully scanned, fully integrated, and two years ago they picked up HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON when she burped!!!
Source(s):
FoxNews, ABC News


Tags: wilson, joe

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Voted as best: twinpairs
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gno gno
 
September 12, 2009 03:18 PM
Your answer is a good one, but what does the part about him being a "man" and not a "sissy" have anything to do with anything? I mean, first of all, a man can be a sissy and still a man.

Second of all, how would masculinity vs. sissyness affect the spontaneous nature of the outburst or his sense of decorum within the government, or his professionalism within his career?

I know lots of "manly men" who are very respectful, considerate, and professional, even when unhappy or furious with something.

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legaleagle legaleagle
 
September 12, 2009 04:39 PM
He is a man, not a "sissy," in my opinion, a "sissy" is not a "man." Generally speaking, "sissys" are shy, not given to outbursts in public, etc... Yes, I too, know manly men, who are rspectful, etc

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ashasekayi ashasekayi
 
September 12, 2009 06:58 PM
I'd have to say that I don't buy his outburst as spontaneous for one single second. It was surely a calculated step to inject misinformation into the speech. But, I won't get into that tangent since it isn't the actual topic of this post. :)

As for the very opportune picture, even I would have to say that it would take serious gonads to conspire with a photographer before hand. I'd have to go with gno's theory on that one.

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Helpful: defolts

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defolts defolts
 
September 14, 2009 11:32 PM
this guy is a fierce partisan, anything he says and does is calculated and yes he probably hates Obama because he is black in the same way Kanye West went after a deserving award winner because she is white. this voted for a seditious flag to be a part of South Carolina s flag, he said that Strom Thurmond's out of wedlock daughter should not have revealed herself, that this should only be done to democrats, but never republicans.
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