Monday, July 6, 2009

Words Can Hurt

In order to get our points across we all use certain words or phrases or even mannerisms. For example if someone calls you a genius it certainly could be taken as a compliment unless of course that person rolled his eyes while saying so. Also nothing is cut and dried so even if someone says something that you might find offensive it would help to know how they meant it and from whom it is coming.

A perfect example is the use of the offensive "N" word. While it
has long been a taboo for White people Blacks continue to use the term freely among themselves.

Many years ago I worked in a small company and had the great pleasure of meeting David, a young boy with a working knowledge of "street language." I asked him one day how come he called another kid who worked there, "money." He told me, "It's because he don't have any. You know, you say the opposite of what it is."
David would teach me "street talk" and I would try to get him to use more accepted business language.

One day I needed David to do something for me and as he passed my office I called out to him. "Yo brains can I see for a second?" David almost fell on the floor laughing at the obvious intent of my words.

We both benefited although when last I saw him he would still say bof (bow-f) instead of both.

Unfortunately not everyone is as intuitively smart as David and most other people know this. They intentionally say things to provoke and incite and then cleverly hide behind some vail of innocence as though to say, "If you took my words the wrong way then it's your problem, not mine."

It is no secret that our economy is in the dumps and we need help to get back on track. Right or wrong the current administration is trying many ways to start things moving again. Naturally until and unless it works there will be nay-sayers but the fact that they are allowed to do so is what makes America great.

However the words that are being used and used and used are starting to show a theme. It is a coincidence when two people choose the same words to describe a complex situation but when an entire wing of the Government, as in the Republican Party uses the same words on every show and every in every paper and
every chance they get it is a concerted effort bordering on conspiracy.

The stimulus package that was started back in the Bush administration was implemented because it seemed that it was needed. The country had wasted billions
of dollars and thousands of lives and lost millions of jobs due to the misguided path they had taken. The Obama administration is continuing the stimulus and believing that it has a chance to avert total disaster has actually expanded it in some ways.

The Republican Party to a man (and woman) is calling it a
"Spending Binge" and they are doing it constantly and squeezing it into sentences where ever possible. They are hoping for the same effect that advertisers get when they repeat the 800 number at least three times in every commercial that needs you to call them.

The term Binge has a detrimental conotation and is being used on purpose.

The Republicans have also taken another term out of moth balls that was last used when Hillary Clinton tried to help the middle and lower classes of America get affordable health care. That term is "Socialized Medicine." They are calling any change to the status quo where big insurance companies are able to reap huge fortunes while raping our citizens "Socialism."

The word conjures up bad times and tends to make people worry and yet even though there is no such proposal on the table and they
know full well it is not socialism they continue to spout the word every chance they get.

But why do it?
Why use key words and phrases to hurt the very same people who elected you to do the job that you say you wish to do?
It's simple really, you have to keep the status quo because your job is part of it!

Republicans have become so adept at not going too far with their "hate speak" that they have started to actually go nowhere! When they use the hateful words they offer nothing in return.

But they continue to use them since we have become a sound-bite society. We generally listen to one or two words before turning the channel or
the page to see what else is going on. With so much information out there and so many ways to get it can we really be blamed for not reading to the end of an article or watching an entire political show?
And if we do then isn't it certain that we will not have enough time to hear a different view?
The beauty of the Republican method of
obfuscation that they have used since before many of our children were born is that you don't have to listen to the end of their speech or read their entire article. What you get from one is the same as what the other will tell you so in the long run you will get their message no matter what.

The Republicans are known as the "Party of Family Values."
By whom?
Certainly not by themselves or their families!
So how did this come about?
They called themselves that and continue to do so to this day although the families of Mr. Vitter, Mr. Sanford, Mr. Gingrich, Mr Foley (I could go on and on but will stop here) would beg to differ. And while Republican and Conservative pundits visit every talk show and spout that the Democrats have also had their share of famous discretions the answer must surely be that, "Unlike you guys, we never said we were perfect."

What America needs now is quite simply for the politicians on both sides of the aisle to shut the Hell up and get to work.
Our need for the sound-bite will still be there when they fix the economy.
We will still believe the ads trashing their opponents in the upcoming election even after we get affordable health care.
We will still fall for the use of certain key words and phrases after our 401Ks are back on track and our retirement is a bit more secure.
We will all take sides and vote for the politician with the catchiest catch phrase even after we have lowered unemployment down to a manageable number.

Republicans and most politicians see Americans as sheep because we have acted with brainless herd mentality for too long. We must see through the use of hate speech and sound-bite phrases and demand the governance we deserve.

Let's stop binging on key words and become a bit more social in our attitude.

We all want health, wealth and happiness because a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

To quote from the movie "The American President", the Michael Douglas character (obviously the Democrat) said of the Richard Dreyfus character (obviously the Republician) "Its not that he doesn't get it, its that he can't sell it". Attack is easier than developing substance.

Reschzoo said...

Yay! One person got it! Now we only need 400,000,000 more to see through their ways.
And a good movie reference.
I also like the line from "1776,"
"Most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor. And that is why they will follow us TO THE RIGHT!"