A proverb is said to be a saying that expresses a basic or general truth. On the other hand, an anti-proverb is proverb altered deliberately or absentmindedly for humorous or specific effect.
Bibi, Prime Minister of Israel, in his recent speech to USA Congress, applied ant-proverb by saying, "So when it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy."
The standard wording of this ancient proverb is 'the Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend'. The proverb originated in the 4th century B.C. in India or Arabia. Recorded use in English seems to be in 1884.
When Bibi, during his speech, altered the syntax of the proverb, perhaps technical Poka-Yoke principle prevented deviation from the standard semantics. Of course, the anti-proverb action was so quick; therefore, no one had time to double-check it, additionally the Congressional applaud was so overwhelming that a quick mind had to let it go.
However, after the speech, surely one had sufficient time to investigate the issue. I gave Bibi's new proverb to Google and received 78,900 results, all providing the original proverb except the following URL which said, "Is there a hidden message to Obama in this? Obama is certainly an enemy to Israel (ConservativeByte.com)." It seems even the industrial Poka-Yoke principle prevented the Google software to examine the syntax it was out of stock.
Natanyahu, born in 1949 (age 65), studied architecture in USA, earned Master's Degree, not Master of Arts, from the MIT. After a slight syntax alteration and, naturally, semantics of the proverb, one might infer that Bibi, as a foreigner, failed to remember the English proverb or cleverly altered it for political purpose. The cliché proverb rolled out , but the effect remains there for generations. In this case Bibi revealed a fact that a proverb can have a double meaning, contrary to general expectation.
ISIS, whether genuine or not, is being apparently bombarded aerially by US-lead coalition forces. We only see the video clips. Differently, IRI has been echoing 'Down with America' on Friday prayers for the past 36 years. Therefore, both IRI and ISIS can be technically considered enemies of USA. Of course, the phrase 'your enemy' instead of 'your friend' makes unequivocal reference to USA.
USA, due to Obama's decision not to engage American ground forces in combats, he needs an alternative force which happens to be IRI. If ISIS is defeated, then the IRI will be the hero in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, but Iran-Iraq war, 1980-1988, has already resulted in one or possibly two million casualties on both sides, rendering permanently half a million invalid. How could possibly an Iraqi mother forgive IRI for the demise of her son? Will the victorious IRI drop the Friday slogans afterwards? How long this reshuffling of the word is going to drag on? Where is the main problem lying? What has happened to Europe's economy? Is publishing bonds is a good sign of growing economy? Is demand-supply principle still economically true?
Anyway, the standard proverb, definitely, for centuries proved to be erroneous. Must be rewritten: the enemy of your enemy is not your friend; he is your enemy.
