Language and Resistance

george-lakoff-2(Posted by Academe Blog)

Most of us are unaware of the many layered aspects of language.  The relative absence of such awareness can often cost us in ways of which we will never be aware.  When attempting to influence opinion using words (or sometimes behaviors) in the public sphere, a heightened awareness of our use of language can significantly increase the success of our efforts.  In a Feb 07, 2017 Travis Smiley interview, George Lakoff, a distinguished linguist, shared some ideas for effectively reaching the broadest spectrum of individuals.  You can also read Lakoff’s comments from July 2016 regarding the current president during the campaign.

 

Imagine the U.S. as an Autocracy

emperor-trump

An article to appear in the March 2017 issue of The Atlantic considers the possible state of the U.S. in the year 2021 after four years of the new regime in Washington.  The lead story entitled “How to Build an Autocracy” presents a possible scenario by which this country could become “illiberal”.  The article, by David Frum can also be assesses as an audio recording.

Defunding the EPA

Have you chosen a political issue on which you have decided to focus?  There is plenty to do.  Consider this.

The new presidential administration plans to cut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by $800 million.  Ken Kimmel, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists has stated that “the inevitable consequence of budget cuts of that magnitude would be a reversal of about the last 50 years of improvements in air quality, improvements in water quality and greater safety from chemicals that cause disease in people”.  Read the full story.

smoggy-washington-bridge
The George Washington Bridge in heavy smog, photographed during the early 1970s before many of today’s clean air protections were put in place. (Photo from the US National Archives/Flickr).

Here are more climate change stories.

Objectivity, Neutrality and Truth

Trust in “news” as well as other sources of “truth” is a developing topic here at seekingGood.  When does conviction stand in the way of objectivity, or does it? Can it be that not taking a stand endangers objectivity, rendering us complicit in a lie?  When does a habit of normalizing acquiescence result in notions of “truth” we might abhor under other circumstances?  Sound complicated?  It is. (If nuance is your cup of tea, here is a story for you).

Lewis Wallace, a former journalist for Marketplace, attempted to draw attention to these issues—and was fired.  The first video presents a brief overview of Mr. Wallace’s situation.

lewis-wallace(Photo: Facebook)

This second video presents a more in-depth description, as well as Mr. Wallace reading the blog post that created the stir.

objectivity-is-dead

We should all ponder the pitfalls of neutrality as we attempt to find Good in this new Public Space of contemporary life.  Want more on these issues of media reliability?  Explore these stories.