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Language is way more powerful than people realize. Changing the language seems to literally change how we think.

SCUSKU 5y ago
While I'm no expert in propaganda, Newsspeak was certainly a major topic in Orwell's 1984. The purpose of Newspeak was solely to build language to control how people think about certain topics [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak#Thought_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak#Thought_control
- PartiallyTyped 5y ago
  Doublethink [1] also facilitates control. I expect this comment to be controversial, but I will express it nonetheless. Unsurprisingly, doublethink is very prevalent in online discussion boards, I have observed it in both progressive and conservative spaces. > Doublethink is a process of indoctrination whereby the subject is expected to simultaneously accept two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct, often in contravention to one's own memories or sense of reality.[1] Doublethink is related to, but differs from, hypocrisy. An example of this within conservative spaces is demanding freedom, but supporting fascism, such as the instance where the datascientist that reported covid cases from Florida was swatted by the police and had her computers and hardware confiscated. An example of this within progressive spaces is demanding equality across genders, but at the same time screeching about saving women and children from Afghanistan and sending men to die like pigs to the slaughterhouse. Or, supporting women's education and equality while supporting anachronistic systems found within religions that facilitate subjugation. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink
teddyh 5y ago
Yet people usually mock Richard Stallman for insisting on proper terms being used as a condition for being interviewed…
SavantIdiot 5y ago
Reminds me of the Negativland album "Free" which discusses the use of language and marketing. Can't find my CD, but there are samples and one says: "The right words, said Stalin, are worth a thousand regimen" EDIT: Found it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXAVvmpNYhM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXAVvmpNYhM
Stupulous 5y ago
Language doesn't appear to be the driver here. The concept of a carbon footprint is what changes how I think, the name is just a compelling way of conveying that concept. If it were called 'per capita carbon consumption', it would still change how we think in the same way, though fewer people might be aware of it.

While I'm no expert in propaganda, Newsspeak was certainly a major topic in Orwell's 1984. The purpose of Newspeak was solely to build language to control how people think about certain topics [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak#Thought_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak#Thought_control

PartiallyTyped 5y ago
Doublethink [1] also facilitates control. I expect this comment to be controversial, but I will express it nonetheless. Unsurprisingly, doublethink is very prevalent in online discussion boards, I have observed it in both progressive and conservative spaces. > Doublethink is a process of indoctrination whereby the subject is expected to simultaneously accept two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct, often in contravention to one's own memories or sense of reality.[1] Doublethink is related to, but differs from, hypocrisy. An example of this within conservative spaces is demanding freedom, but supporting fascism, such as the instance where the datascientist that reported covid cases from Florida was swatted by the police and had her computers and hardware confiscated. An example of this within progressive spaces is demanding equality across genders, but at the same time screeching about saving women and children from Afghanistan and sending men to die like pigs to the slaughterhouse. Or, supporting women's education and equality while supporting anachronistic systems found within religions that facilitate subjugation. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink

teddyh 5y ago

Yet people usually mock Richard Stallman for insisting on proper terms being used as a condition for being interviewed…

SavantIdiot 5y ago

Reminds me of the Negativland album "Free" which discusses the use of language and marketing. Can't find my CD, but there are samples and one says: "The right words, said Stalin, are worth a thousand regimen" EDIT: Found it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXAVvmpNYhM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXAVvmpNYhM

Stupulous 5y ago

Language doesn't appear to be the driver here. The concept of a carbon footprint is what changes how I think, the name is just a compelling way of conveying that concept. If it were called 'per capita carbon consumption', it would still change how we think in the same way, though fewer people might be aware of it.