Stop the Spread
Your moral duty to root out bullshit by using the correct phrases!
Right, guys, THIS needs saying.
If they’re calling it a ‘Cost of living Crisis’
They don’t get it.
If they’re referring to it as ‘The Pandemic’
They don’t get it.
AND
If YOU’RE nodding along and agreeing as others do this, then YOU’RE part of the problem!
Yes! Let’s talk about words.
It’s been driving me nuts, recently.
People who should know better; either using descriptions they know to be blatant lies or going along with others as they do, like it’s not a big deal.
Well, it IS a big deal!
How much easier to say ‘cost of living crisis’ rather than get strange looks or have to explain your issue with it, hey?
How much easier to nod along as someone else says it and not bother setting them straight.
But, what does ‘easier’ mean?
What’s the upshot here?
These are the basics, the fundamentals. Once you concede them, you passively establish agreed common ground.
Letting this language go unchallenged is similar to when politicians say ‘we all know that….’, ‘we all agree that….’
Yes! YOU are doing that!
Saying ‘the war in Ukraine’ for example, further cements the idea that it is a genuine war.
It’s a particular bug bear of mine when this happens on the social media posts or podcasts of high profile so-called ‘truthers’.
These people should know better. And maybe they do - which makes it all the more sinister as to why they would be letting these falsehoods further snowball.
I listened to one podcast recently when the guest said ‘pandemic’ so many times without correction that I had to turn it off! How could I take his suggestions seriously when he clearly has no respect for getting the basics right?
Whilst I realise it can be trickier in work situations and you may have to make difficult choices there, correcting these glaring untruths is a moral obligation.
It’s not enough to say “but they know I think differently.”
It’s the same with woke language. I will never call myself a ‘CIS woman’ or go along with anyone else doing so. To do so, validates the concept.
Once you start engaging in the language of lies, you give it wings.
With enough wing power, these things take off - fly!
There are a few reasons people do this. I will address them.
Laziness
“They already know my view”
If that’s the case, then reiterating it won’t do any harm then, will it?
Takes a minute.
Not hurting feelings
“I don’t want to upset them and want to show empathy to a different point of view”
Logic and truth must always trump not hurting feelings. The culture of ‘live your truth’ has opened a can of worms and called it spaghetti. Truth can not be personalised. To submit to the notion of a ‘personalised truth’ does the other person a disservice. If a toddler had a tantrum because you refused to agree the sky was green, would you back down and say it was?
Exactly!
It’s what everyone does
“It’s just commonly known as that.”
“People understand what you mean more quickly”
Ask yourself why that is.
It’s because government, think tanks and the media have pushed them to the forefront. They have purposely parroted words and phrases that create cognitive dissonance whilst shirking and reassigning blame.
‘Cost of living crisis’ is a good example. Straight away the idea is sown that it’s no-ones fault, can’t be helped. The word ‘crisis’ evokes panic.
If confronting these misdemeanours feels too big a step, then at least precede them with ‘so-called’ or ‘alleged’. It adds a much needed question mark, a pause for thought.
I want to end with a reminder of the positives to using correct descriptions;
It’s an opportunity to let people know/remind them of your stance.
You encourage others to do the same.
You send a clear message that these terms will not go unnoticed and unquestioned.
It disrupts the ‘given’ beneath the surface, dismantling perceived shared notions.
To summarise; this shit is bindweed.
If you leave it unchecked it will grow and grow and take over the garden.
It’s our garden.
Get weeding!
I should add that another reason people are reluctant to pull people up is a fear of being impolite, coming across as harsh and possibly halting a fruitful conversation.
Whilst that may present challenges to some of the less assertive/confident, I do believe there is a way it can be done with tact and sensitivity.
Yeah, I won’t say pandemic. Just “during Covid” normally. I’d say shitshow if I could get away with it at work but I have said “the nonsense”. People tend to steer clear of talking politics with me.