Linguist and author Geoffrey Nunberg discusses his new book The Years of Talking Dangerously and the way in which the media, politicians, and all of us use words to not say what we really mean.
chriss -- funny you should use those words -- that's EXACTLY what the smirking chimp called the terrorists on 9/12!
Among the many smart political truths we all watched Bush Admin put to practice is that the pen is mightier than the sword (in their case, MUCH).
Jun. 03 2009 10:46 AM
Score: 0/0
Robert
from NYC
Ah, there ya go, another book. hahahahahahahaha
Jun. 03 2009 10:38 AM
Score: 0/0
kai
from NJ-NYC
The Bush years were those of Manichean battles and understandings. Therefore it seems easier to define linguistically a set of ideas in tidy little slogan-packages.
Reflecting the hard complexities of the world with overly simple and misleading words might last for a bit, but nuance reins supreme.
Jun. 03 2009 10:38 AM
Score: 0/0
Bobby G
from East Village
The right's manipulation of language continues. Yesterday Ross Douthat in the Times uses " conservative" to describe Justice Thomas. He then uses "arch liberal" to describe Justice Stevens.
In my dictionary the example of use for the word "arch" as an adjective is "arch-villain."
Jun. 03 2009 10:37 AM
Score: 0/0
Robert
from NYC
What is the real problem? People buy it; it works and you hear it daily in the media and on the streets as well. Interestingly most of the people on the street have no idea what they're talking about but it sounded good when their "favorite" mediahead spews it regularly so it must be the way it is. It's time we all learned to stay on the ball and "hold feet to the fire" as it were.
Jun. 03 2009 10:34 AM
Score: 0/0
Chriss Williams
from Montclair, NJ
Oh, and did he really just say, "Chants of USA..."
So that's bad now too?
Back to Stern for me, will check in at 11am.
Jun. 03 2009 10:34 AM
Score: 0/0
Chriss Williams
from Montclair, NJ
WOW, it took this guy not more than 3 mins. to reference the EVIL FOX NEWS....
Lemme guess, Obama's use of language is better, honest and fair?
But really, if the bad guys aren't called bad, what do we call them: Folks with whom we disagree?
Jun. 03 2009 10:32 AM
Score: 0/0
MichaelB
from Morningside Heights
We've become so politically correct that I've noticed that people tend to use the plural "they" instead of the singular "him" or "her" even when it is clear that the object was a particular individual.
Also, we use "people" instead of "men" or "women" even in situations when it is clear that one or the other is meant. For example, it is common for a heterosexuals on a dating site to say "I've met alot of nice people" instead of "I've met alot of nice men" I suppose men do the same thing.
It's as if saying "men" or "women" would be insulting.
A couple of euphemisms which people use nowadays
Jun. 03 2009 10:31 AM
Score: 0/0
hjs
from 11211
example: cheney and newt scream the headline but whisper the roll back
Jun. 03 2009 10:28 AM
Score: 0/0
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Comments [10]
chriss
i just call them theocrats
chriss -- funny you should use those words -- that's EXACTLY what the smirking chimp called the terrorists on 9/12!
Among the many smart political truths we all watched Bush Admin put to practice is that the pen is mightier than the sword (in their case, MUCH).
Ah, there ya go, another book. hahahahahahahaha
The Bush years were those of Manichean battles and understandings. Therefore it seems easier to define linguistically a set of ideas in tidy little slogan-packages.
Reflecting the hard complexities of the world with overly simple and misleading words might last for a bit, but nuance reins supreme.
The right's manipulation of language continues. Yesterday Ross Douthat in the Times uses " conservative" to describe Justice Thomas. He then uses "arch liberal" to describe Justice Stevens.
In my dictionary the example of use for the word "arch" as an adjective is "arch-villain."
What is the real problem? People buy it; it works and you hear it daily in the media and on the streets as well. Interestingly most of the people on the street have no idea what they're talking about but it sounded good when their "favorite" mediahead spews it regularly so it must be the way it is. It's time we all learned to stay on the ball and "hold feet to the fire" as it were.
Oh, and did he really just say, "Chants of USA..."
So that's bad now too?
Back to Stern for me, will check in at 11am.
WOW, it took this guy not more than 3 mins. to reference the EVIL FOX NEWS....
Lemme guess, Obama's use of language is better, honest and fair?
But really, if the bad guys aren't called bad, what do we call them: Folks with whom we disagree?
We've become so politically correct that I've noticed that people tend to use the plural "they" instead of the singular "him" or "her" even when it is clear that the object was a particular individual.
Also, we use "people" instead of "men" or "women" even in situations when it is clear that one or the other is meant. For example, it is common for a heterosexuals on a dating site to say "I've met alot of nice people" instead of "I've met alot of nice men" I suppose men do the same thing.
It's as if saying "men" or "women" would be insulting.
A couple of euphemisms which people use nowadays
example: cheney and newt scream the headline but whisper the roll back
Leave a Comment
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