If you want a glimpse at why language matters and why so much of what passes for political discourse today is either mere hollering or deliberately perverted language, take a read of George Lakoff's essay, "Words that don't work, at http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/8777-focus-words-that-dont-work
Pollster and Republican strategist and language meister Frank Luntz is paid big bucks not to illumnate or 'splain or clarify. He's paid big bucks to use "focus groups" to suss out the perfect words that he can advise his bosses to use disguise, decieve, misdirect, obfuscate and falsify. And when people believe the deceptions, the misdirections, the falsification, they make decisions based on those lies and that rarely turns out well for them. But it always turns out well for those manipulating the languge in order to get the action they want.
Luntz will be working overtime in the election of 2012. And the stakes couldn't be higher. Pay attention. If you thought "death panels" was brilliant, you ain't seen nothing yet.
At at the same site, check out another essay at http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/269-36/8774-the-most-important-speech-of-his-presidency That also will be the key issue in 2012 -- a decision by the voters on whether and how and how far they want to re-balance The Value of The Commons. That's the question the Occupy Wall Streeters, the 99%ers are asking. The American voters will have to decide. Unfortunately, with Frank Luntz at work, their decisions will be made that much more difficult. But, it needs to be done if we even have a shot at re-balancing a country gone off the rails.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
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3 comments:
Re: perfect words to disguise, deceive, misdirect, obfuscate and falsify--why can't everyone just pay their "fair" share?
Come on, it's all about carefully calculated spin, on both sides.
If you don't like Frank Luntz, how do you feel about jury consultants?
With the huge money that it takes to campaign now, and what the candidates have to do to get it, on both sides, it's not a surprise that our government is circling the drain.
TCG: Jury consultants don't write laws that impact the whole country. Congresspeople do. That's why their deceptions (both Dems & Repubs) are so dangerous. And it also isn't just about spin, it's too often outright lies, not "spin." And the damage to real people in real time can be pretty awful. And, no it's not a surprise that our government is circling the drain -- We the People have been shoving it towards the garbage disposal for years.
Actually, and unfortunately, I think that many times the laws are drafted by lobbyists and just adopted by congresspeople. Am I naive to think that there was a time when laws were developed for the purpose of improving some major sector of society, instead of rewarding political/financial supporters or appeasing a target voting base? Probably.
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