I am not a linguist, but shouldn’t language become simpler over time? What does it say about our language and specifically about US culture that our language is apparently becoming more convoluted? And can we stop and take a look at how the Conservative movement has taken control of so many situations by taking control of language?
Truthers don’t seem to be too interested in facts. Birthers are not concerned with childbirth, outside of single child’s birth. Freepers are not worried about delivering more freedom. Birchers do not seem to care about the fate of trees.
This bastardization of our language seems to be about normalizing the fringe. I say it is high time that the liberal crowd took advantage of it. We should start labeling things ourselves, we should take over a few words and see if we cannot spread them like wildfire.
Do you believe that two people who love one another should be allowed to marry, regardless of gender? I say you are a ‘Lover.”
Are you of the opinion that health care should be available to all, regardless of income? I dub you a “Carer.”
Would you agree that a homosexual can be patriotic and should be able to demonstrate that patriotism by serving in the armed forces and fighting for their country? I say we call you a “Fighter.”
If someone you know drives a gas hog vehicle capable of carrying eight passengers and they do not regularly carry eight passengers we need a new name for them as well. Hawgs is a label taken year ago by our two-wheeled friends so I suggest we call them ‘Gassy.’
If you believe abortion should only be available to victims of rape, I guess we have to call you a ‘Raper.’
As for those who work against environmental laws and believe that industries should be able to dump more and more poison into our environment; welcome to the debate ‘Dumpers.’
Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck? Well, they keep dumping crap into the debate. ‘Crappers’ it is.
Think about it. And remember that this fight is non-violent and capable of being won.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Culture of CaCa
When did the current level of debate sink lower than a sea cucumbers fartmaker? When did conversing in order to find a truth or compromise die a messy, painful death and leave a bloated carcass in the sun to mark where a chance for consensus once stood?
It would seem that the current infatuation with anti-intellectual clap-trap snuck up on us, which is embarrassing. It was about as stealthy as one of those giant walking tanks from the last decent Star Wars movie but it ninjaed right up behind the whole country and slapped an atomic wedgie on our best opportunity of improving our culture at the expense of Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann getting a shoulder ride around the gym while Formal Argument got a swirly in the locker room. And then, suddenly, it stood on our neck and called our mother names. Making a sound argument or appealing to supposedly universal ethics now make you as popular as a cello player at the football rally. How did that happen?
When was it that facts became the mullets of conversation? When was it that opinion came to be a flamethrower with attached shotgun and fact became the annoying hum from your fridge everyone has learned to ignore? What seismic shift occurred that led so many of us to believe that believing was more important than knowing and that knowing had nothing to do with proving? And when did proving come to be considered the social equivalent of spitting in someone else’s Big Gulp?
The surest proof of this final surrender is in the number of people who use the phrase “Nothing can change my mind.” If nothing can change your mind I don’t think you can actually call your skull-filler a mind. Even a rat will take the better way through amaze once it has been made apparent.
However it happened, it is too late to stand around placing blame like an overweight accident investigator. Let us fight back! How? Intolerance! The next time someone insists that their opinion is as valid as any fact treat them like a telemarketer with a lisp and thick accent. And even that is not enough. It is time to start reacting to sound arguments like chocolate in chocolate sauce with a chocolate filling. Congratulate people when you hear them being brave enough to cite a valid source. Give footrubs to the rational, offer a ride to anyone willing to debate clearly. Get out the carrot AND the stick. It isn’t too late.
It would seem that the current infatuation with anti-intellectual clap-trap snuck up on us, which is embarrassing. It was about as stealthy as one of those giant walking tanks from the last decent Star Wars movie but it ninjaed right up behind the whole country and slapped an atomic wedgie on our best opportunity of improving our culture at the expense of Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann getting a shoulder ride around the gym while Formal Argument got a swirly in the locker room. And then, suddenly, it stood on our neck and called our mother names. Making a sound argument or appealing to supposedly universal ethics now make you as popular as a cello player at the football rally. How did that happen?
When was it that facts became the mullets of conversation? When was it that opinion came to be a flamethrower with attached shotgun and fact became the annoying hum from your fridge everyone has learned to ignore? What seismic shift occurred that led so many of us to believe that believing was more important than knowing and that knowing had nothing to do with proving? And when did proving come to be considered the social equivalent of spitting in someone else’s Big Gulp?
The surest proof of this final surrender is in the number of people who use the phrase “Nothing can change my mind.” If nothing can change your mind I don’t think you can actually call your skull-filler a mind. Even a rat will take the better way through amaze once it has been made apparent.
However it happened, it is too late to stand around placing blame like an overweight accident investigator. Let us fight back! How? Intolerance! The next time someone insists that their opinion is as valid as any fact treat them like a telemarketer with a lisp and thick accent. And even that is not enough. It is time to start reacting to sound arguments like chocolate in chocolate sauce with a chocolate filling. Congratulate people when you hear them being brave enough to cite a valid source. Give footrubs to the rational, offer a ride to anyone willing to debate clearly. Get out the carrot AND the stick. It isn’t too late.
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