I'm watching the presidential debate right now and both candidates use certain words more often than I have ever heard in my life. One word is change. Change is a word that they use when they want to get people to listen to what should be changed in this country. It is a word that motivates the listener to consider the view point.
Another word that is used a lot is "Americans." I guess it is a good word to use when you're talking about a specific group of people but I wonder why its used by both men every time they talk about us. I feel that its a more passionate word that shows pride in your people and nation but from a critics view point, well I guess, I would have to keep the same opinion on that. It does instill pride.
Crisis was another word they used a lot to describe the financial situation of the country. Now this word just makes me feel like I'm about to have a panic attack, so I had to listen to what each candidate suggested we do about that.
1 comment:
Burke's work does position language as action--words do things. This approach to language nicely counters the statement, "It's just rhetoric," which suggests that language has no substance. But as you point out based on your viewing of the debate last night, words do have substance and involve action. Language can stir up emotions and people and lead them to behave in certain ways. Language also influences your perceptions of the world, as with the use of "crisis" in the debate. I agree that it's difficult not to panic when that term is used over and over again, and not just in the debate, but in the news as well.
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