One issue that really stood out to me while reading George Orwell's Dystopian novel 1984, was the unrestricted surveillance of citizens through 'Big Brother's' use of Telescreens. In the novel, Telescreens are similar to today's TVs but Telescreens have the ability to watch and listen to anybody throughout all hours of the day. This struck a chord with me because it sounds somewhat similar to the National Security Agency's un-warranted search of American's phone calls and emails. In the novel the main character Winston gets caught and captured by the government through secret use of telescreen surveillance because Winston was plotting to rebel against the government. This can be paralleled in today's society to the NSA listening to American phone calls in search or anything that may arouse suspicion. Now while the NSA is not as extensive or obvious as telescreens, it is still a scary precedent that the government has the ability to do this to citizens.
While in 1984 the citizens could not do anything against the surveillance, in today's society many people are outraged that the government can use unrestricted surveillance, and steps are being taken to restrict the NSA's ability to use unwarranted searches of American phone calls and emails.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
The world of Doublespeak
Doublespeak is used in today's society to make an uncomfortable or unpleasant topic more likable. For example, in the military world, if civilians were killed in a military operation, they are considered 'collateral damage'. Surrendering is renamed a tactical retreat, and in the US army, killing someone is considered 'servicing the target.' According to an article titled, 'Involuntary Conversions, Preemptive Counterattacks, and Incomplete Success: The World of Doublespeak' there are four kinds of doublespeak. The first being Euphemism, a pleasant replacement for a harsh or unattractive word of phrase. The second type of Doublespeak is 'jargon', a simplified language used by doctors, lawyers, or other professionals. Jargon is a verbal shorthand designed for only people in specific fields to be able to understand. The third type of Doublespeak is 'bureaucratese'. It is a form of speaking used by politicians, and business executives. It is used by piling eloquent sounding words and phrases on top of each other until the true meaning of the sentence is lost, in a way to confuse and overwhelm the audience. The final type of Doublespeak is language to make the un-ordinary seem extraordinary. Using trumped-up language to make something unappealing or distasteful seem incredible or impressive. For example a used car being called an 'experienced car.'
In conclusion, Doublespeak is a way of speaking that pretends to convey a message but really does not and simply misleads and confuses the audience.
In conclusion, Doublespeak is a way of speaking that pretends to convey a message but really does not and simply misleads and confuses the audience.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Propaganda pros and cons
"Are there any benefits to propaganda? When and why?"
The entire basis of propaganda is appealing to their audience by making it seem like the message is talking specifically to you. Propaganda comes in many different forms, it can be used to encourage people to smoke cigarettes, it makes you feel left out if you are the only one without the new IPhone, it can give the public a figure to direct their anger toward. We see propaganda everyday in our lives, TV commercials, billboards, or even in the daily newspaper. It is slipped under our noses into our lives without us knowing. Propaganda does have benefits in some cases though. For example, the United States used propaganda during World War II to sell war bonds, collect scrap metal and help reserve food. Propaganda was used for the good of the country and also it wasn't hurting anyone. However propaganda can be used for evil. How do you think Hitler persuaded an entire country to rally behind a despicable cause? Propaganda. He made Germany believe that their cause, what they were doing, would benefit the entire world, and they would be crowned heroes.
In the end, propaganda can be beneficial, it tries to convince us to buy a new product, vote for a candidate, or support the war effort. But in the wrong hands, propaganda can have a profound effect on a population, and the world.
The entire basis of propaganda is appealing to their audience by making it seem like the message is talking specifically to you. Propaganda comes in many different forms, it can be used to encourage people to smoke cigarettes, it makes you feel left out if you are the only one without the new IPhone, it can give the public a figure to direct their anger toward. We see propaganda everyday in our lives, TV commercials, billboards, or even in the daily newspaper. It is slipped under our noses into our lives without us knowing. Propaganda does have benefits in some cases though. For example, the United States used propaganda during World War II to sell war bonds, collect scrap metal and help reserve food. Propaganda was used for the good of the country and also it wasn't hurting anyone. However propaganda can be used for evil. How do you think Hitler persuaded an entire country to rally behind a despicable cause? Propaganda. He made Germany believe that their cause, what they were doing, would benefit the entire world, and they would be crowned heroes.
In the end, propaganda can be beneficial, it tries to convince us to buy a new product, vote for a candidate, or support the war effort. But in the wrong hands, propaganda can have a profound effect on a population, and the world.
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