Doublespeak for beginners
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In these trying times, in spite of the problems arising in America, I am still gay. Did you catch the doublespeak there? No, America is facing its fair share of problems much in part due to the greed of the wealthy who are now happy to be on the verge of getting "bailed" out of a situation that they created. It's also a fact that I am indeed gay, but when I use the word gay here, I mean that I'm happy. That sounded misleading and deceitful, didn't it? The definition of doublespeak is evasive, ambiguous language that is intended to deceive or confuse. The fact that Webster's has a definition for it tells you one thing...doublespeak has perverted so much of the words that we see and hear that it's becoming commonplace.
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The New Doublespeak: Why No One Knows What Anyone's Saying Anymore
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Doublespeak Defined: Cut Through the Bull**** and Get the Point!
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Doublespeak
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Weasel Words: The Dictionary of American Doublespeak (Capital Ideas Book)
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"Now, I have to go back to work on my State of the Union speech, and I worked on it until pretty late last night. But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false, and I need to go back to work for the American people. Thank you." Remember this famous quote from former President Bill Clinton back in 1998? The fact of the matter is that in Mr. Clinton's eyes and in the eyes of others, he didn't lie. No, he didn't have sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky, but she did give him oral sex and so he used doublespeak to avoid answering the question the way everyone wanted him to answer it. This is the "art" of the doublespeak. Answering questions and making responses the way others want to hear them, but not answering them the way others expect you to answer them. Around 2004, our current President George Bush claimed that it was a completely "volunteer" army that was fighting in Iraq and that he will not support a draft. The truth is that Bush didn't support a draft, but the doublespeak here is that Bush did issue stop-loss orders which prevented anyone who had fulfilled their military obligations from leaving the service. No, the twisting of words to suit one's own needs isn't fair, but to date, it's certainly not illegal.
So now the question is, who's to blame for the popularity of doublespeak? The simple answer is that I'm to blame, you're to blame and every other member of society is to blame. Normally when people hear the word faith, they automatically think religion, but the truth here is that anyone who is faithful to another person's word is held accountable when that person is found guilty of doublespeak. To ease your mind, you may simply want to call it trust, but that doesn't change the fact that we can't see, touch, or feel another person's word, but we believe that the words a person says are meant to be exactly the way that we hear and perceive them. Sometimes we push blind faith to the limit as in the case of fixed rate mortgages and adjustable rate or variable rate mortgages. We know that the interest rates in fixed rate mortgages remain the same no matter how the real estate market fluctuates, but adjustable rate mortgages look so appealing to us because there's a lower initial interest rate than fixed rate mortgages so they normally start out being the cheaper deal. Even though the interest rate in adjustable rate mortgages can be raised or lowered at periodic intervals according to the prevailing interest rates in the market, we still want to believe that if the rate changes at all, it will be lowered instead of increasing. So doublespeak isn't necessarily meant to prey on the gullible because it also preys on the trusting and the faithful.
Now you might be wondering just how we can overcome and avoid doublespeak. The answer here is simple as well because all it takes is investigation and education. Euripides said, "Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing." Now I don't agree with answering nothing, but he's exactly right about questioning everything because that is the only way we can learn for ourselves. We should not always take every word at face value especially when those words concern us, our homes, and our families. We would like to believe the media and our politicians no matter what they say, but we also know that the media has been notorious for being biased in spite of the necessity that they be truly objective. "Read my lips: no new taxes." Nothing more needs to be said about politicians. I leave you with the most current article I've found about the financial "bailout", the links I found for Bush's stop-loss order, and Wanda Sykes' views on the bailout simply because even when things are at the worst, we all need a reason to laugh. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080925/ap_on_bi_ge/financial_meltdown
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/09/17/doublespeak-in-the-war-on-terror/
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-01-05-army-troops_x.htm
On a final note...I'd like to thank ColdWarBaby for once again inspiring a few choice words out of me.
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Comments
This is another excellent piece talented_ink.
We have to remember this has been going on for a long time.
Although you’re correct that we’re all to blame for allowing things to get this far out of control let’s not forget that the process of indoctrination has been refined and intensified over many years.
It’s getting to the point where double speak is hardly needed any more.
Blatant lies are simply accepted as truth.
After all, they said it on TV and we all know they can’t lie on TV.
Thanks for the links, especially the video. I watch very little TV so I never would have caught that myself.
What a great hub! I'm so sick of politicians right now! The Wanda Sykes clip is terrific. I love her. If only our leaders and our politicians could talk that straight, we wouldn't be in the kind of mess we are in now. Thank you.
Everyone and i mean everyone does it, not jsut politicians. It's jsut they are in the forefront and we seeit largely because of media, but how easy is it for us as parents to double talk our chidlren to confuse them or not keep a promise, or to a boss, lover or family, to get out of a duty, lie etc.
I don't think the problem is so much doulbe tlaking rather than we as a nation just have to always find fault in our more than faulty government. We all know the government is a crock of (BEEEEEEEEEP), but... inspite of it all, reguradless what they say in the end we still all need to vote for who we each as indivuals think is best for the job, so as it is.
I love Barark... and stand behind him, but i would be a ie for me to say i haven't paid so much close attention to him that i have caught him twice double tlaking and it made me weary... here it is this man i so strongely followed and supported , now has me on the fence because i quoute un quote caught him . So i turn to McCain to see what he is all about and guess what, right off the back, i see him do it as well. So who now do i go for?
I decided it best to stop looking so hard at what they are saying infront of cameras, because int he end, no matter which one gets in, there will be issues they promised, that they will not hold true to and most likely, it won't be on purpose, but rather because, hey...
The same old same old, spoutedin double talk that goes over thehead, emptied promises that haveno meaning. Truth, disguised aslies; lies validated as honorable;have heard all the speeches. Theywill say anything to get your vote.That's all I understand right now ...
Great hub, Talented. You're so right. We hear what we want to hear, and politicians take full advantage by omitting the bits they don't want us to know. They also use a lot of complex equivalences which is something I was taught to use in hypnotherapy, but the use in politics is far from therapeutic. The idea is that you juxtapose two statements, one of which is straightforward and obviously true, the other of which comes under the banner of 'suggestion'. An example of this in hypnotherapy might be 'As you are sitting in your chair, feeling the soft, cushion behind you, you are feeling more and more relaxed and comfortable.' In politics it might be'With every extra dollar we put into education, it's good to know that your kids are at last getting the schooling they deserve.'
As they say, words can heal, and words can wound. Certainly makes ya think!
Huz-ZAH! Yep, politicians use doublespeak, corporations use doublespeak and euphamisms... it's a bit like that game so often played by gay people in a crowd of straight people, d'you know it? We call it the Pronoun Game. "Do you have a girlfriend?" "I'm seeing someone, yes. We've been in a relationship for three months. We're getting along wonderfully! They're so full of little surprises." And so on... if you're careful in your use of personal pronouns, you can keep their gender from ever actually coming out in conversation.
With politicians of course, the problem is merely temporary. While they and attorneys have not just obfuscated on occasion, but instead systematically restructured the language of law and politics to do for doublespeak what the Renaissance did for the arts, this criminal use of what are called "words of art" will only last for a little while longer. This is because when you use obfuscation in politics, it enables you to alter the legal and political nature of the landscape... and then you have the opportunity to assemble vast armies, gradually transform public policies, and essentially transmogrify your country into a completely different country.
This has already happened. Have a look at what doublespeak has accomplished in the United States alone.
http://www.gemworld.com/USAvsUS.htm
Ultimately, it's a form of fraud when used by politicians and attorneys - which I suppose would make it fraud when used by ordinary citizens. I guess the defining point there is what the intention behind obfuscating something is. If you're accountable for a country and you fog the issue to protect yourself from treason, it's a little different than if you're a private - if unconventional - citizen and simply want to keep nosy neighbors from poking into every aspect of your personal life. As a friend of mine used to say, it's a matter of intent versus content. It's not /what/ we do that's right or wrong, but /why/ we're doing it. In the case of politicians, attorneys and corporations, this is seldom for benevolent reasons. And once they get started and aren't held accountable, it quickly picks up steam - here's where doublespeak is headed:
http://www.slate.com/id/2126479/
At that point, it becomes utterly impossible to keep tabs on our politicians, and whether what they're doing is lawful. We have devolved into an utterly totalitarian state by not holding politicians and media accountable for the facts, and demanding to get them.
Thanks for writing this. When it becomes prevalent enough in society, doublespeak takes on a semblance of acceptability because nobody calls people on it when they do it. When it seems acceptable, people are less likely to speak out about it - and less likely to be taken seriously when they do.
to PenmanZee - I understand the way you're feeling and I concur. I believe that as long as we show tolerance and sometimes forgiveness for doublespeakers, they'll continue to do it. LIke you say, I love the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report and it's amazing that they are becoming more "fair and balanced" than the "real" news.
to ColdWarBaby - Thank you very much. When it gets to the point where politicians and heads of business feel that they can tell bold faced lies, everybody needs to re-examine exactly how and why we allow this foolishness to persist. I have a grand notion. The same way that we believe there should be a separation of church and state, there should be a separation of politics and media. In other words, politicians and reporters were not meant to be made bedfellows a la Karl Rove, Fox News, and John McCain.
to pgrundy - Thank you very much Pam and I think I need to do like you said and take a political vacation after this election. A straight talking politician. That would be a beautiful thing, but right now, that would be like a unicorn.
Thumbs up from a new fan!
to lover of myself - You're right, doublespeak is widespread beyond just the media and politicians. The biggest problem with politicians and the media is that their ambiguous language affects the nation and every citizen, and we can't afford for this type of talk to continue. Again, you're right with saying that politicians will stoop to pandering to get votes, and the only way for us to avoid that is to question everything they say. Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment.
to Amanda Severn - Thank you very much, and I wouldn't be none too suprised to learn that politicians are taught complex equivalences. Thanks for sharing because I just learned something.
to Satori - "...do for doublespeak what the Renaissance did for the arts...". Wow, that is a perfect metaphor for the rhetoric that politicians are uttering. I appreciate you taking the time to read my hubs and I will also take the time to read yours. I may not always agree with you, but I respect your courage to say exactly what's on your mind and you seem to stand by your word as well. You are right about the necessity to call out doublespeak when we see it, and I truly hope that we all take a greater role in doing so.
to wannabwestern - Thanks for reading and becoming a new fan.
Yes, good one. It's not going to go away in the near future though, so everybody needs to be aware of what's going on.
Yes it continues to be a challenge to be able to speak one's truth and not twist it to suit oneself for whatever reason. Thanks for your thought provoking hub. :)
talented ink,
We believe double speak because we want to believe it. Most of us, if we are somewhat knowledgeable about a topic or situation, have the capacity to understand double speak. I believe the problem is fundamentally whether we want to buy into it or not. It's not the double speak, but the inability to remain objective and honest in your evaluation of double speak that matters.
Thanks for the hub, it was very interesting and insightful.
sschilke
I was trained in interview and interrogation by the FBI. One of the techniques they taught us was to transcribe the statement, verbatim, in written form and then do a structural analysis of the statement. The idea is that even a liar will tell you the truth. In the class, several well known statements were analyzed, including former president Clinton's testimony and the statement by Patsy Ramsey regarding Joan Benet. It is amazing what you see when you look closely.
Thanks for a great piece.
to Paraglider - I agree with you and I'm learning that even if we're not able to change something proactively ourselves, by raising enough awareness of any given issue, we come to a person or a group of people that will be able to come up with a solution.
to ripplemaker - I think it's a matter of separating fact from opinion. It's one thing to say that someone is poor. It's an entirely different thing to have been robbed by one poor person and then call all poor people thieves.
to sschilike - So you're saying that we know better, but we want to believe what we're being told anyway. Sounds like a jedi mind trick, and those are never supposed to work.
to Ronnie Maness - That definitely sounds like a course we all need to take. Thanks for the compliment and thanks for reading.
Good hub, I'm a new fan! Wish your video still worked.
This hub has twice the amount of attitudinal adjustment necessary for a negative deficit to proactively enhance the elimination of redundancies essential for the reclamation of enhanced facilitation of non-impeded communications as it relates to global warming.
PenmanZee says:
15 months ago
I wonder what happened to plain speak. Why do we have to deal with people talking out of both sides of the mouth?
Onother thing I can't stand is when a group hijacks a perfectly good, legitimate word and it becomes their flagship. Just as you illustrated in your opening, eons back in grade school, I read all those stories of fairies and princes and princesses and "gay" was one of those beautiful words you could never miss. Now it is a word that must be qualified whenever it is used. I rue the day they'll actually take glad - another beautiful word.
Onto political reporting, I've given up trying to get sensible balanced views from the big networks or the alleged pundits. I'll go with the Daily Show, The Colbert Report and yes, comics like Wanda Sykes. They say it like it is and don't spew out a thousand words and in the end, say nothing - a la McCain. I loved the video. Thanks