Words.

[lapislzi]

As our beloved son WRP pointed out yesterday, words matter.

I have long decried the use of violent language and imagery in everyday speech. We're not working to eliminate things like illicit drug use and terrorism, we're fighting a "war" on them; we're "combating" them (debatable as to whether this is even a verb). Legislation is not opposed; it is "shot down." We no longer "focus" on congressional races, we "target" them (I could amend this list ad nauseum; feel free to add your own examples; they are legion) As late as this morning, I heard our president on the radio discussing the families who have been "impacted" by the Arizona tragedy. What happened to "affected?"

This type of language makes me sick, and only contributes to the climate of hostility in which we now find ourselves. Everyone's guilty. Some are more guilty than others.

But the violent turn in the common language has troubled me for a long, long time.

Thoughts?

[Raschel]

1. A victim, Gabrielle Giffords, said it herself. These types of things have consequences.

[Jim__]

2. I agree that words matter, but it's more than just words.

One of Michael Moore's documentaries is "Bowling for Columbine." IIRC, it's an attempt to get at the root causes of violence in the US. In one part of the film, he compares a city in the US (Detroit?) to a city in Canada (Windsor?). The two cities are right next to each other and, IIRC, demographically similar. In the US city, everyone is afraid. In the Canadian city, no one is afraid - they don't even lock their doors at night. The big difference I remember between the cities was the nature of TV news. In the US it was all crime, all the time. In Canada, they emphasized international news, diplomacy, etc.

Words are a part of it; but words are also a part of culture. Each feeds the other. I'm not sure we can tone down our language without changing our culture; and I'm not sure we can change our culture without toning down our language. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we have a problem that is bigger than just language.

[lapislzi]

3. You are so right.

Perhaps language is the symptom of a culture that is sick and steeped in hostility and fear (the twin faces of Janus).