In all seriousness, language and word choice are a very big part of propaganda and influence. It’s not an accident that we are discussing “death tax” instead of “inheritance tax”, or that you see reports of “looters” vs “survivors/scavengers”.
So true. We’re manipulated daily through the power of words… what to buy/where to buy it, what to wear or eat, who to vote and not vote for, what to think and believe, how to live, now how to die even, etc. We need to open our ears more and really listen to what’s being told to us.
Sorry, what are weasel words? Never heard that term. One I find fascinating is the way music and lyrics are paired together… people will happily ingest and dance and sing along to some of the most destructive lyrics, as long as the music is pleasurable to them.
In all seriousness, language and word choice are a very big part of propaganda and influence. It’s not an accident that we are discussing “death tax” instead of “inheritance tax”, or that you see reports of “looters” vs “survivors/scavengers”.
So true. We’re manipulated daily through the power of words… what to buy/where to buy it, what to wear or eat, who to vote and not vote for, what to think and believe, how to live, now how to die even, etc. We need to open our ears more and really listen to what’s being told to us.
Something I found very eye-opening was the Wikipedia editing guidelines/style guide. Specifically, they had (have?) section on weasel words.
Once you see these types of manipulations laid out, you start to see them everywhere.
Sorry, what are weasel words? Never heard that term. One I find fascinating is the way music and lyrics are paired together… people will happily ingest and dance and sing along to some of the most destructive lyrics, as long as the music is pleasurable to them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word
Thanks.