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Mark Twain and Imelda Marcos

YEN MAKABENTA

First word

MRS. Imelda

Marcos will not be amused by my linking her name today with that of the great writer and humorist Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens).

They are curiously linked by the fortuitous circumstance of being falsely reported to have died.

The only benefit I can see is the linkage of kindred souls, both icons in their own right. And global celebrities; one is sadly gone, the other is still mercifully here with us.

Mark Twain, who was never out of words to say, turned his alleged death into an immortal quote.

Ms. Emily Petsko through fine research was able to find the whole truth and the real story. She wrote the following report on Nov 1, 2018:

“When you’re one of the most quoted authors of all time, you’re also bound to become one of the most misquoted authors of all time. Such is the case with Mark Twain, whose famous quip about his own death is frequently butchered by well-meaning admirers, as ‘This Day In Quotes’ explains.

“You’ve probably heard that Twain once said, ‘The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,’ or another common version containing the phrase ‘grossly exaggerated.’ The gist of the quote is accurate, but neither wording is quite right.

“Twain is one of the few people in history who was lucky (or unlucky) enough to comment on newspaper reports of his own death. In 1897, an English journalist from the New York Journal contacted Twain to inquire whether the rumors that he was gravely ill or already dead were indeed true. Twain wrote a response, part of which made it into the article that ran in the Journal on June 2, 1897:

“Mark Twain was undecided whether to be more amused or annoyed when a Journal representative informed him today of the report in New York that he was dying in poverty in London ... The great humorist, while not perhaps very robust, is in the best of health. He said: ‘I can understand perfectly how the report of my illness got about, I have even heard on good authority that I was dead. James Ross Clemens, a cousin of mine, was seriously ill two or three weeks ago in London, but is well now. The report of my illness grew out of his illness. The report of my death was an exaggeration.’

Misquoted and embellished

“Apparently, many of the misquoted versions stem from a Mark Twain biography by Albert Bigelow Paine published in 1912, two years after Twain’s death. According to Paine’s embellished version, Twain had told the reporter, ‘Just say the report of my death has been grossly exaggerated.’

“That’s not the only Twain quote that’s been a little embellished over the years. Many other witty maxims often attributed to the author have even more dubious origins. You may also remember the quote, ‘I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.’ Or perhaps this one: ‘It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.’ While they’re often attributed to Twain, he never said either of them.

“Fortunately, there are still plenty of good — and accurate — Twain quotes to go around.”

3-pronged denial

In the case of Mrs. Marcos, the nation has not had the chance of hearing her comment on the fake news or false report about her passing.

Ironically, most of us did not hear or read about her alleged passing until three members of her family took the time to belie reports on social media about her transition.

Her eldest daughter, Sen Imee Marcos, took to GMA-7 to deny social media reports about Imelda’s passing.

“Sen. Imee Marcos has denied reports in social media that her mother, the former first lady, Imelda Marcos, had died,” GMA Integrated News reported.

“Last week pa ‘yan, ang bad ng nagkakalat,” the senator told Nimfa Ravelo of Super Radyo DZBB.

In turn, Eliza RomualdezValtos, Imelda’s niece posted on Facebook that her aunt Imelda was still alive.

“Still strong and kicking,” Valtos said in her post.

Finally, the current first lady, Liza Araneta-Marcos, joined the parade by posting through GMA a photo of herself next to her mother-in-law.

“Happy Sunday everyone!” was the brief caption that accompanied the photo.

The three-pronged denial will likely kill the false story. The wonder is why the report went viral on social media.

The answer, says the Atlantic, is that the internet has a fondness for bad news.

Front Page

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2023-03-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/283536570003976

The Manila Times