Comments on: CAMPAIGN 08 & EDITOR’S COMMENT: The power of language http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/ ... with attention to the unseen Wed, 23 May 2012 03:13:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Enzo http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1408 Enzo Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:30:24 +0000 http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/#comment-1408 Jacob, old men and young, with or without heart disease, and regardless of what their doctors or anyone else may or may not tell them, die. No matter the extent to which they may choose to acknowledge or ignore this, they know it. It's instinctive. As the oxymoron would have it, "that's life." Surely, though, you are not comparing human death to catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation and the like? Are you concerned about the extent to which Obama and/or his supporters may be aware of the trouble we're in? I think such a concern is realistic, rational and sane. I will continue to have it myself. But I also see, increasingly, that many of us are all too well aware of our troubles and are suffering, sometimes wildly and desperately, to find a way through them. Surely you do not believe there is no such way? I'm reminded of Country Joe and the Fish's, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag": Well, come on all of you, big strong men, Uncle Sam needs your help again. Yeah, he's got himself in a terrible jam Way down yonder in Vietnam So put down your books and pick up a gun, Gonna have a whole lotta fun. And it's one, two, three, What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam; And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why, Whoopee! we're all gonna die. The rest of the lyrics are here: well.com/~cjfish/ragbaby.htm Of course, there ~is~ still time to wonder why. There ~is~ a way. And there's time to find it, or build it, and to get onto it and get moving. Yes we can. Jacob, old men and young, with or without heart disease, and regardless of what their doctors or anyone else may or may not tell them, die. No matter the extent to which they may choose to acknowledge or ignore this, they know it. It’s instinctive. As the oxymoron would have it, “that’s life.”

Surely, though, you are not comparing human death to catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation and the like?

Are you concerned about the extent to which Obama and/or his supporters may be aware of the trouble we’re in? I think such a concern is realistic, rational and sane. I will continue to have it myself. But I also see, increasingly, that many of us are all too well aware of our troubles and are suffering, sometimes wildly and desperately, to find a way through them. Surely you do not believe there is no such way?

I’m reminded of Country Joe and the Fish’s, “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die-Rag”:

Well, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
Yeah, he’s got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
Gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it’s one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it’s five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain’t no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we’re all gonna die.

The rest of the lyrics are here:

well.com/~cjfish/ragbaby.htm

Of course, there ~is~ still time to wonder why. There ~is~ a way. And there’s time to find it, or build it, and to get onto it and get moving. Yes we can.

]]> By: Paul Woodward http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1407 Paul Woodward Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:02:16 +0000 http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/#comment-1407 There's a dimension to the progressive movement that, as far as I'm aware, doesn't get much attention -- at least in the form of self-criticism. It is what I would call an underlying resistance to change. It's not for lack of visions of what change would look like, what would be desirable and what would be for the greater good. It comes out of a sense that the forces we want to resist are too powerful and that the best we can do is speak out and shout truths that we imagine few are interested in hearing. In these acts of defiance there is a sense of nobility and principle and a great deal of self-righteousness, but then once we're done we can sit back and console ourselves with the thought that if nothing changes it wasn't because we didn't try. What we are less inclined to examine is whether we already shackled ourselves with the expectation that nothing was going to change anyway. There’s a dimension to the progressive movement that, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t get much attention — at least in the form of self-criticism. It is what I would call an underlying resistance to change. It’s not for lack of visions of what change would look like, what would be desirable and what would be for the greater good. It comes out of a sense that the forces we want to resist are too powerful and that the best we can do is speak out and shout truths that we imagine few are interested in hearing. In these acts of defiance there is a sense of nobility and principle and a great deal of self-righteousness, but then once we’re done we can sit back and console ourselves with the thought that if nothing changes it wasn’t because we didn’t try. What we are less inclined to examine is whether we already shackled ourselves with the expectation that nothing was going to change anyway.

]]> By: Jacob Freeze http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1406 Jacob Freeze Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:36:35 +0000 http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/#comment-1406 Enzo sums up Obama: "The message is that we can accomplish the change we desire." In the real world, it's probably more important that <b>we can't stop the changes we don't desire:</b> catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation, and collapsing finacial markets. <em>This</em> message obviously isn't "what people want to hear," as Enzo says, and maybe that standard works in politics, but elsewhere it isn't exactly respectable... An old man with heart disease walks into a doctors office, and he <em>wants to hear</em> that he can stop taking that blood-pressure medicine that makes him feel drowsy. He <em>wants to hear</em> that he can eat steak and get drunk every day and run a four-minute mile. In the world of medicine, Mr. Obama's habit of telling people "what they want to hear" would make him a dangerous <em>quack,</em> and it's lucky for him that politicians aren't judged by the same standards as doctors. Enzo sums up Obama: “The message is that we can accomplish the change we desire.”

In the real world, it’s probably more important that we can’t stop the changes we don’t desire: catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation, and collapsing finacial markets.

This message obviously isn’t “what people want to hear,” as Enzo says, and maybe that standard works in politics, but elsewhere it isn’t exactly respectable…

An old man with heart disease walks into a doctors office, and he wants to hear that he can stop taking that blood-pressure medicine that makes him feel drowsy. He wants to hear that he can eat steak and get drunk every day and run a four-minute mile.

In the world of medicine, Mr. Obama’s habit of telling people “what they want to hear” would make him a dangerous quack, and it’s lucky for him that politicians aren’t judged by the same standards as doctors.

]]> By: Enzo http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1403 Enzo Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:25:26 +0000 http://warincontext.org/2008/02/26/campaign-08-editors-comment-the-power-of-language/#comment-1403 Why and how, then, one might wish to ask, does Obama connect with his audience? I do not consider him an exceptional orator. If he continues to grow, he should become one. When Obama connects, it's because of three simple things: he has a message; it ~is his~ message; and it is ~the~ message his audience wants to hear. The message is that we can accomplish the change we desire. Short and simple as that message is, it has been shortened even further to, "Yes we can." Do not underestimate this message. It not only says a great deal — some say it says whatever people may wish it to say — but it says it with confident, bold, even defiant determination. It is the message a great many people, not only Americans, want to hear. It is the message they, and in particular Americans, have increasingly wanted to hear not for eight years, but, if they're old enough, for several decades. It is the message the young have always wanted to hear. It is the message the old who may be wary of change will listen to. Obama owns that message. I imagine he made it his own many years before he found himself in a position to run for the presidency. When he did decide to run, I imagine it was because he considered he could convince enough others to make it their own, too. And he seems to be doing just that. Why and how, then, one might wish to ask, does Obama connect with his audience?

I do not consider him an exceptional orator. If he continues to grow, he should become one.

When Obama connects, it’s because of three simple things: he has a message; it ~is his~ message; and it is ~the~ message his audience wants to hear.

The message is that we can accomplish the change we desire. Short and simple as that message is, it has been shortened even further to, “Yes we can.” Do not underestimate this message. It not only says a great deal — some say it says whatever people may wish it to say — but it says it with confident, bold, even defiant determination.

It is the message a great many people, not only Americans, want to hear. It is the message they, and in particular Americans, have increasingly wanted to hear not for eight years, but, if they’re old enough, for several decades. It is the message the young have always wanted to hear. It is the message the old who may be wary of change will listen to.

Obama owns that message. I imagine he made it his own many years before he found himself in a position to run for the presidency. When he did decide to run, I imagine it was because he considered he could convince enough others to make it their own, too. And he seems to be doing just that.

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