"Language: The Power We Love to Hate." (17-26).
1. "It [story] acquires 'legs.' It shows up night after night on TV-in purportedly hard-news venues; on infotainment shows; on TV talk shows; on late-night shows; on the magazine shows. It turns up on radio talk shows as hearers call in with empurpled opinions; it occupies the front pages of newspapers and newsmagazines. We talk about it spontaneously. Serious people may deride our fascination, but we are not ashamed" "Language" 18).
I really liked this quote because it is so true. Think about all of the celebrities that end up on TV every single night. When Britney Spears shaved her head bald, programs were interrupted to show this "serious" event. It's crazy to think of the things that are considered important enough to show on prime-time news, including Britney Spears.
2. "What we know of it we know through carefully selected words, images that tell us what we ought to think and believe we know" ("Language" 20).
This quote, describing what the world perceives an economy to be, really jumped out at me because it is completely true. Any intangible object is engraved into one's mind by the definition old white men gave it a long time ago. By having this definition for an intangible object, there is no room for anyone to have a creative imagination.
3. "The absence of apology was itself an act of hostility, and no doubt was intended to be read as one, albeit a slightly cowardly one, in avoiding explicit expressions of aggression, while taunting the target to attack" ("Language" 15).
I really enjoyed this part of the article because it talked about a real life event that language really took a big part in. Firstly, I love the author's sarcastic tone of voice in this quote. Secondly, I thought it was very interesting how Bush used his lack of language to force Hussein into war with us without using hostile words. The lack of aggressive words does not mean the lack of aggression, which is the opposite of what Bush was trying to do. He tried to use his lack of words to make America look like the good guy. Typical American politics- using words to completely change the meaning of a situation.
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6 comments:
I liked the part about apologies too. I had never thought of an apology like that before but it makes perfect sense. I especially liked the example of being stepped on in a movie theater and how you still expect an apology even though you don't want to be interupted from your movie.
I think that for long periods of time intangible objects are engraved into our minds because of older definitions, but revolutions (ex. French Revolution) change the way the people think, so there is some room for imaginative people.
But is there any one set meaning for any word? Sure there is a set definition of the word "economy" but if there were no room for imagination on the matter, would there be so many competing economic theories? Also how many more people have different ideas of what it means to be either a liberal or a conservative than there are written definitions for those words?
I also agree with your comments on the second quote. Language gives those people in a position of power the ability to shape intangible objects to be what they want them to be.
I liked the third quote. It's amazing that the sheer lack of apologizing can be seen as an insulting. Apologies have become so trite and common place that the sheer lack of one is enough to start an argument.
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