| I think the evidence of the value people place on words can be seen in the way the powerful and rich spend so much time, energy and money to twist language or smother it. Consider the way the Republicans in Congress and the White House use catchwords and phrases to reverse the meanings of things--such as, pulling out of Iraq means leaving the US armies without weapons and any way to leave. This is amazing stuff. It just shows the power of language in misuse, when meaning is deliberately inverted. Words can grant clarity and purpose, or they can deceive and invoke hatred, or fear. The hate radio stations of Rwanda, shortly before and after the genocide there in 1994, provides another example.
But words can also have a very positive impact. They can provide information, dispel lies, offer hope and comfort to the weary, give entertainment to billions. The can shrink the great and self-important to the size of peas, which is why the vested interests--be they Faux News, or the Kremlin--display a genuine fear of verbal taunting and laughter.
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To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. |