Speech is powerful
Enough to shape existence
One word at a time
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]
Showing posts with label speech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label speech. Show all posts
22 August 2018
22 June 2018
haiku 22 Jun 2018
With wisdom and grace
Seattle agreed to go
Leaving all behind
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]
Seattle agreed to go
Leaving all behind
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]
11 December 2017
five seven five
This author is changing his usual daily writing efforts, preferring haiku to prose in an effort to avoid speaking divisively. He finds that there is enough vituperation being posted online and appearing on paper, these days. Laboring to point out the faults and shortcomings of politicians and society at large is exhausting work; unless there are radical shifts in income and wealth distribution, a rekindling of compassion for the less fortunate, and an adjustment of the public mindset away from ego-driven materialism, trying to come up with feasible solutions to common problems faced by all Americans is akin to flogging a dead horse.
Hence haiku, the five seven five, which allows him to say something meaningful without saying anything concrete. Shadowed hints and subtle nudges are more likely than brute-force tactics to succeed in sewing useful doubt and shattering inflated egos. Among the primary purposes of the LieSmith and Americanifesto writing projects is to play the tenth man, to look at the world from non-habitual and irregular points of view. The ends he strives for are democracy, happiness, liberty, and prosperity; only his means are different.
To make weak butter
Skim off the layer of cream
Blandness remains, then
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]
Hence haiku, the five seven five, which allows him to say something meaningful without saying anything concrete. Shadowed hints and subtle nudges are more likely than brute-force tactics to succeed in sewing useful doubt and shattering inflated egos. Among the primary purposes of the LieSmith and Americanifesto writing projects is to play the tenth man, to look at the world from non-habitual and irregular points of view. The ends he strives for are democracy, happiness, liberty, and prosperity; only his means are different.
To make weak butter
Skim off the layer of cream
Blandness remains, then
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]
14 December 2012
the accusative you
A specter is haunting the tongue of the modern English speaker – that shadowy, pervasive, accusative You! Upon listening closely to how people speak – especially to persons who are inebriated, or speaking passionately – one will soon understand I am talking about. And if one should find oneself being interviewed or facing the opportunity of speaking on a topic with which one is familiar, the first thing one is likely to do is to begin using You in the accusative form. (I do not even know if the usage to which I refer is called the accusative, but I think it sounds best.) What the deuce am I talking about? Well, here goes.
Imagine a friend is talking about a driver who cut him off while he had been driving home from work. “Why the fuck did you do that!” he will likely scream, his hands thrusting forward in supplicating fashion, his shoulders hunched and his eyebrows climbing. “How could you be so stupid as to pull out in front of me when I clearly had the right of way and too much momentum to stop within a safe distance?” In all likelihood, he will be making eye-contact with and pointing to the person to whom he is speaking, even though that person neither cut him off nor compelled the offender – the third party – to pull out in front of him. More likely than not, this agitated friend will proceed to draw analogies to other instances in the recent past when he felt slighted, offended, overlooked, or wronged; he will begin to whine about this policy decision or that stupid regulation, saying things such as “Why would you build a road here when over there is better” or “You're not going to get those guys to end their uranium enrichment program using sanctions alone.” And all this time, there will be a tiny little voice sounding in the head of the person listening patiently to his friend – less a voice, actually, than a deep, subconscious Knowing – that wants to grab the friend by the scruff of his neck, shake him, and say to him, “You fucking asshole! I didn't do these things – I didn't cut you off or enrich that uranium or pass that bill or tell that girl to dump you! Yes, yes, I know that you – and I'm talking to you directly, not to a fictitious third party who cannot hear you speaking – I know that you are talking about someone else, and I know that I'm supposed to understand this and not take your accusative tone and pointing fingers and rising anger personally, that I am supposed to remember that you use You when talking about Them even though you should be using They, Them, of Those Guys. Deep down, I know these things, but still, bro, come on, be disciplined when speaking.”
Yes, discipline – discipline is what is lacking in our society, as well as the patience to choose our words carefully and to think before we speak. It is not hard to acquire these things: all it takes is a bit less time spent watching television and a bit more time – starting with fifteen minutes each day – spent reading something such as The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. (This book is available in any public library worth its salt.) I am convinced that the surest way to mend the tattered remnants of fair Liberty's cloak, that the quickest way to regain mutual respect for one other, is to stop using the accusative You when we are speaking about people who are not present. For too long have we unwittingly taken responsibility for the actions of other people; for too long have we unknowingly allowed ourselves to be blamed for the shortcomings, failures, and mistakes of people we have likely never met. Speech is one of our most powerful weapons; words are weightier than the sharpest sword; and the sooner we learn to use these tools wisely, the better off we all shall be. Check your tongue and mark my writing, or all too soon we're back to fighting. Mahalo.
mentiri factorem fecit © 場黑麥
Imagine a friend is talking about a driver who cut him off while he had been driving home from work. “Why the fuck did you do that!” he will likely scream, his hands thrusting forward in supplicating fashion, his shoulders hunched and his eyebrows climbing. “How could you be so stupid as to pull out in front of me when I clearly had the right of way and too much momentum to stop within a safe distance?” In all likelihood, he will be making eye-contact with and pointing to the person to whom he is speaking, even though that person neither cut him off nor compelled the offender – the third party – to pull out in front of him. More likely than not, this agitated friend will proceed to draw analogies to other instances in the recent past when he felt slighted, offended, overlooked, or wronged; he will begin to whine about this policy decision or that stupid regulation, saying things such as “Why would you build a road here when over there is better” or “You're not going to get those guys to end their uranium enrichment program using sanctions alone.” And all this time, there will be a tiny little voice sounding in the head of the person listening patiently to his friend – less a voice, actually, than a deep, subconscious Knowing – that wants to grab the friend by the scruff of his neck, shake him, and say to him, “You fucking asshole! I didn't do these things – I didn't cut you off or enrich that uranium or pass that bill or tell that girl to dump you! Yes, yes, I know that you – and I'm talking to you directly, not to a fictitious third party who cannot hear you speaking – I know that you are talking about someone else, and I know that I'm supposed to understand this and not take your accusative tone and pointing fingers and rising anger personally, that I am supposed to remember that you use You when talking about Them even though you should be using They, Them, of Those Guys. Deep down, I know these things, but still, bro, come on, be disciplined when speaking.”
Yes, discipline – discipline is what is lacking in our society, as well as the patience to choose our words carefully and to think before we speak. It is not hard to acquire these things: all it takes is a bit less time spent watching television and a bit more time – starting with fifteen minutes each day – spent reading something such as The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. (This book is available in any public library worth its salt.) I am convinced that the surest way to mend the tattered remnants of fair Liberty's cloak, that the quickest way to regain mutual respect for one other, is to stop using the accusative You when we are speaking about people who are not present. For too long have we unwittingly taken responsibility for the actions of other people; for too long have we unknowingly allowed ourselves to be blamed for the shortcomings, failures, and mistakes of people we have likely never met. Speech is one of our most powerful weapons; words are weightier than the sharpest sword; and the sooner we learn to use these tools wisely, the better off we all shall be. Check your tongue and mark my writing, or all too soon we're back to fighting. Mahalo.
mentiri factorem fecit © 場黑麥
12 October 2012
on words, briefly
As part of my daily self-betterment routine, I make an effort to spend some time each day studying the following books: The Guide to Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour, Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt, The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, Dictionary of Word Origins by Joseph T. Shipley, Sallust as translated by John C. Rolfe, and an Universal-Sprachführer Neiderländisch (universal language guide for Netherlandish) by Langenscheidt. (I also read other books, mostly science-fiction and American classics, for leisure.) In the course of my studies, I am frequently reminded of the plasticity of language, noting the changing of words over time; studying in multiple different languages (German, Netherlandish, English) keeps my tongue nimble and my brain's speech centers primed.
For the most part, words change less than one might think; cat does not start meaning dog overnight, nor will the average user of language dream up new words or new meanings, pulling definitions from the misty aether. I have noticed, however, that society can change the weight of certain words profoundly, sometimes within a brief span of time. Take, for example, the word retard. While I was growing up, and until about a few years ago, this was a mostly soft slur flung at individuals displaying a comical lack of good judgment; persons casually using the word retard could expect to go about their business unmolested and without fear of being sat down and spoken to sharply about the damage they were causing to persons with disabilities. Today, however, even mentioning the word retard will cause any know-it-all soccer-mom or her snot-nosed spawn who happens to be in earshot to scold the offensive party with righteous indignation, the color rising in her face, the pulse quickening in her veins. Cocksucker is another word that works very nicely to describe someone who displays a distinctive lack of compassion and a propensity for ruining the fun for everyone else; the word has nothing to do with persons who actually suck cock, be they male, female, or something in-between. Today, however, other ugly words – nigger, chink, whore, slut, cunt, fag, or kike – stir up a forest of waggling fingers as soon as they leave someone's mouth, whereupon the grizzly-moms are at a body's throat, tearing into him with a passion all but lacking from the rest of their lives. (These busybodies are so hyped up about keeping everything nice that they judge every word coming from any and all suck-holes, leaping forth in the manner of steel traps within milliseconds of having detected an offensive remark.)
What I am at root trying to say is that words are only throaty grunts, nasal buzzes, chopped whistles, and blunt chirps; they have only as much power as we give them; they only mean what we think they mean because we agree – each and every day – to define them the same way as everyone else. I therefore urge the reader to remember that the next time someone else uses a word not to his liking, he can choose to understand it as something completely different, thinking cat for dog or green for orange; to allow other people to control our minds, to allow other people to dictate the conditions of our Happiness, is to blame the Universe for our sorrows and to hate other people for the contents of their minds, which is on some level just as bad as hating on other people for having been born with disabilities or with skin-tones slightly darker than our own. The world is not a nice place, and the sooner we understand and accept that, the sooner we can get on to minding our own business.
場黑麥 mentiri factorem fecit
For the most part, words change less than one might think; cat does not start meaning dog overnight, nor will the average user of language dream up new words or new meanings, pulling definitions from the misty aether. I have noticed, however, that society can change the weight of certain words profoundly, sometimes within a brief span of time. Take, for example, the word retard. While I was growing up, and until about a few years ago, this was a mostly soft slur flung at individuals displaying a comical lack of good judgment; persons casually using the word retard could expect to go about their business unmolested and without fear of being sat down and spoken to sharply about the damage they were causing to persons with disabilities. Today, however, even mentioning the word retard will cause any know-it-all soccer-mom or her snot-nosed spawn who happens to be in earshot to scold the offensive party with righteous indignation, the color rising in her face, the pulse quickening in her veins. Cocksucker is another word that works very nicely to describe someone who displays a distinctive lack of compassion and a propensity for ruining the fun for everyone else; the word has nothing to do with persons who actually suck cock, be they male, female, or something in-between. Today, however, other ugly words – nigger, chink, whore, slut, cunt, fag, or kike – stir up a forest of waggling fingers as soon as they leave someone's mouth, whereupon the grizzly-moms are at a body's throat, tearing into him with a passion all but lacking from the rest of their lives. (These busybodies are so hyped up about keeping everything nice that they judge every word coming from any and all suck-holes, leaping forth in the manner of steel traps within milliseconds of having detected an offensive remark.)
What I am at root trying to say is that words are only throaty grunts, nasal buzzes, chopped whistles, and blunt chirps; they have only as much power as we give them; they only mean what we think they mean because we agree – each and every day – to define them the same way as everyone else. I therefore urge the reader to remember that the next time someone else uses a word not to his liking, he can choose to understand it as something completely different, thinking cat for dog or green for orange; to allow other people to control our minds, to allow other people to dictate the conditions of our Happiness, is to blame the Universe for our sorrows and to hate other people for the contents of their minds, which is on some level just as bad as hating on other people for having been born with disabilities or with skin-tones slightly darker than our own. The world is not a nice place, and the sooner we understand and accept that, the sooner we can get on to minding our own business.
場黑麥 mentiri factorem fecit
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