Posted on 01/25/2004 11:32:09 AM PST by chance33_98
Linguistic attacks leave Left crippled
In a June 14, 2003 interview for www.salon.com, Erica Jong, a master wordsmith in her own right ("Fear of Flying"), had this to say about words and politics: "The right wing has redefined reproductive choice. They've captured the language. They say that they're 'pro-life' and many young people think that they are pro-life, too. They (the right wing) won the linguistic debate. And when you win the linguistic debate, you've won the debate. Period."
Given the truth of this statement, the parlance of our times has never been so dangerous.
Tuesday's State of the Union Address shone light on a blade wielded so wisely and ferociously by the Right, a weapon bungled and broken by the Democratic Party. President Bush - or rather, his political cadre - have manipulated and mastered the arsenal of language, an arsenal that, fortunately for him and neocons everywhere, the American public has grossly underestimated.
Let's take a look at some choice excerpts from the president's current assessment of the United States. Bush spends a substantial amount of time defending an initiative that was central to his very election, the No Child Left Behind Act, an act that stipulates that children not be shuttled from grade to grade like so much livestock.
Now, who but an ogre would dare disagree with or oppose something so compassionate and forward thinking as this? Who, indeed, would say, "Hey, I want to leave children behind! I don't care a whit for them!" I bet those cold-hearted, flat-affected Democrats would. Bastards. Never mind the program is severely overburdened and underfunded, rendering Bush's promises totally hypocritical and void of meaning.
Another example of Bush's brilliance in the linguistic arena comes with the Patriot Act, and his assertions that this act protects our nation's very security. Who, among you readers, desires to be unpatriotic? I can think of no person who craves that label, who spends fervent nights awake lamenting his classification as a supporter of his country and all it stands for.
And, of course, the kicker comes with Bush's declaration that, "Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage." Actually, no, President Bush. I have long thought marriage should be a profane institution relegated solely to reality television shows and Las Vegas wedding chapels, only to be quickly annulled the following day.
Kidding aside, we begin to see the veiled acumen of Republicans' stake on euphemisms. Everyone loves children and has a vested interest in their future. We all strive to embody patriotism, especially post-Sept. 11. No one, in her heart of hearts, wants to see a mockery made of marriage.
Therein lies the majesty of what the Right has done. Everyone agrees with them. Reviewing the text of Bush's State of the Union, I agree wholeheartedly with practically everything he says. And when people are in agreement, they tend not to delve deeply into details. And why should they? They believe the president is in their corner, that they share a common, hallowed ground.
However, when you scrape away the surface sheen of language, you begin to see the Patriot Act severely undermines our civil liberties by allowing the government to monitor our actions and disclose our confidential personal information to innumerable "intelligence" agencies of questionable legitimacy. Peel away the pretty words, and you find "sanctity of marriage" applies not to those who would love and honor one another, but only to men and women, regardless of what they would do to pervert the love implicit in such a union.
By establishing a monopoly on this market of words, Republicans have dealt a fatal blow to Democrats. Sure, Democrats can counter reproductive propaganda with such carefully crafted phrases as "pro-choice," but the Republicans churn out positive catch phrases with such speed and alacrity, liberals will never catch up. And, even if Democrats could muster some clever slogans, the solid ones have already been firmly embedded in the American psyche, and are just as firmly associated with George W. Bush and his affiliates. The Democrats dropped the ball on this one, possibly the most important issue of all, and they can never pick it up.
As it stands, Democrats attack the Right with a barrage of negativity. The Patriot Act does not help us - rather, it hurts our liberties and therefore our country. The No Child Left Behind Act does not live up to its promises. These statements are true, and Democrats are right in exposing the truth behind such beautifully packaged refuse. However, Democratic Party representatives come across as whiny, combative and - worst of all - reactive rather than proactive.
Living as we do in a high-anxiety environment, we need assurance that our leaders will protect us rather than nurse our wounds after the fact. We need to hear soothing, inspiring words - words that give us comfort and hope and put our worried minds at ease.
Too bad Republicans have all the right words.
- Karla Saia is an English senior and opinion editor for The Daily Aztec.
- This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send letters to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
They began a while back. The Unibomber was environmentalist. I don't know where the line should be drawn, but there has always been some kind of terror going on at least since the Civil War.
"They can't do that to our voters! Only WE can do that to our voters!"
The pro 'get rid of that thing inside me' camp had to couch their phrases and nomenclature because they had no choice, they were for the right to destroy one's offspring. How in the hell is it possible for you to win the linguistic debate when your basically defending such simple, sundry evil.
The 'get rid of it, please' girls never tried to paint it as an abonomiable, if necessary evil, they tried to pass it off as so much hooey about 8" of non-vital tissue.
The right won the linguistic debate because all they had to do was rely on the truth, and when the science of intrawomb photography caught up, their fate was permanently sealed.
I'll tell you what, even Hell won't hold these people.
1. By establishing a monopoly on this market of words, Republicans have dealt a fatal blow to Democrats.
And:
2.I'm glad we learned something from i42 and his junta, besides the definition of "is."
5.56mm
This young woman may be forgiven for a misapprehension that the battle of definition is a creation of the right - she was probably around 10 when Clinton first took office. She no more notices the environment of left-wing euphemism than a fish notices water.
Why is it always "defense spending" and "social programs"? Why not "defense programs" and "social spending"?
The biggest distortion, I think, is the lie that the budget is being "cut" when in reality only the rate of increase is being cut. I'm always amazed at that one.
My impression exactly. It is kind of amusing to see how conservatives have learned to fight on those grounds. But we were at least 30 years in playing catch up. Years this young lady doesn't remember. And still we're barely at parity. We can hardly claim undisputed control of the language.
Once again, the leftist propoganda is bullsh*t right out of the gate.
That linguistic facade known as 'reproductive choice' didn't even exist before Roe v. Wade and was coined by the left.
It was the left who redefined the language, and, as usual, the pot is calling the kettle black.
..."Their eloquence escapes me; their logic ties me up and rapes me. Da doo doo doo, da da da da, that's all I want to say to you..."
“The great misfortune of the twentieth Century is to have been the one in which the ideal of liberty was harnessed to the service of tyranny, the ideal of equality to the service of privilege, and all the aspirations and social forces included under the label of the "Left" enrolled in the service of impoverishment and enslavement. This immense imposture has falsified most of this century, partly through the faults of some of its greatest intellectuals. It has corrupted the language and action of politics down to tiny details of vocabulary, it has inverted the sense of morality and enthroned falsehood in the very center of human thought.”Gee whiz - look whose ox is being gored now. The Left has owned the terms of debate and the language used to frame it for quite some time now - the triumph of the Gramscian 'long march through the institutions.' Now that we're calling them o ntheir game, they absolutely hate it - and people like us. The danger is the murderousness inherent in their sick utopian worldview. Give them absolute power - as we have come close to doing in recent times - and the streets wil lrun red with the blood of traitors, patriots and innocents alike.
The Flight From Truth: The Reign of Deceit in the Age of Information 1991, Random House Jean Francois-Revel
Let's face it - they STILL own the lamestream media, the schools, the universities, most of the churches and their ideals permeate and dominate popular culture. For example, just ask your self - what are the underlying themes of most 'reality 'TV series? Hint: lying, betrayal, backstabbing, distrust and ruthlessness. No spark of the good side of human nature to be found - just the dark side.
How about this for capturing the language?
"Pro-life" and "pro-choice" are confusing terms. Why can't folks just say "anti-abortion" and "pro-abortion"? It's sort of like using "gay" or "queer" when one means "homosexual".
Orwell maintained, in so many words, that he who controls the present controls the past, and he who controls the past controls the future. There is something to be said for the fear of manipulation of language, but it is not the Right that I fear. Throughout the Twentieth Century, it was the Left that proceeded through time with its hands drenched in the blood of the innocent. Its greatest triumph was to convince historians that they were but innocent fools, misled by zeal, but well-meaning just the same.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
Good point - and nice job on the excerpts.
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