A weekly newspaper polls 400 people and "48%" say that a certain politician is "arrogant".

At what point should we ask whether people:
a. do not understand the meaning of the word "arrogant", or
b. hear the media saying "X is arrogant" so much that this is adopted as 'truth'?

And, this particular politician has been an elected official for about 4 years, and leader of his political party for less than a week. That makes the poll -- and its reporting in the media -- particulaly relevant, would'nt you think? The newspaper does not even put the poll on its web site on the day of publication, but maybe that's a commercial decision; and... crass.

Does 'crass' beat 'arrogant'? One would think and even hope so!

Of course, this brings to mind the anecdotal exchange between Winston Churchill and Bessie Braddock.

Bessie Braddock: Sir, you are drunk.

Churchill: And you, madam, are ugly. But in the morning, I shall be sober.

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Peter