#double speak

protect protect (2007) jenny holzer

DISCLAIMER: Please do your own research and come to your own conclusions.

Double Speak.

Never before has double speak been used more proficiently and successfully as now.

We are constantly bombarded with language that conditions and programs us to adopt and accept whatever they want.

Doublespeak distorts, like a cuttlefish squirting ink. It makes the bad seem good, the negative positive, the unpleasant attractive.

It frames reality in a different way than it really is. For example, reframing an act of war as a “defensive freedom” and a “necessary action to protect our way of life”.

Types of Doublespeak:

Euphemism: Using mild or vague terms to mask harshness or unpleasantness.

Example: Referring to tax increase as “revenue enhancement”, shellshock as “”operational exhaustion”.

Jargon: Using special(pretentious, obscure) language that confuse, and exclude those not familiar with the terms.

Example: “The machine has a baseplate of prefabricated amulite, surmounted by a malleable logarithmic casing.”

Gobbledygook: Using complex, convoluted language to appear sophisticated and official.

Example: Instead of saying “We are cutting costs”, say “In alignment with our strategic operational objectives, we are initiating a paradigm shift in our financial allocation protocols to optimize resource utilization and enhance fiscal prudence across all departments.”

Inflated Language: Using grand words to make things appear more significant.

Example: Referring to a janitor as a “sanitation engineer”.

With doublespeak, deceptive language is normalized, politicians don’t lie but misspeak, illegal acts are inappropriate actions, and a fraud is a miscertification.

“If thought can corrupt language, then language can corrupt thought.” -George Orwell.

The above is my summary of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzsEp_hakK4

I like the concept of doublespeak, reframing, and tuning words to convey same-ish, yet different meanings.