What part of illegal doesn't she understand.
Just another example of Orwellian Newspeak.
Posted on 04/27/2006 7:37:32 AM PDT by FreedomSurge
When figuring ways to shape public opinion, the first thing any savvy strategist does is craft phrases that will elicit a desired response.
Want people to have a more positive reaction to dead Iraqi civilians? Call them "collateral damage."
Want to get Americans to feel good about government spying? Name your law "The Patriot Act."
If you can control the words people use, you can frame the issue. In effect, you control the way people view it.
That is exactly what is happening with the immigration debate.
To avoid dealing with complex problems in our nation - crumbling public schools, senior citizens who have lost their pensions, a shrinking middle class - some politicians are taking the easy way out by focusing on undocumented immigrants.
Those politicians are being goaded by nativists, racists and brainwashed people who are confused in our culture of fear.
Their term of choice: "illegals."
That shorthand term for "illegal immigrants" - which they use as a noun, making linguists cringe - is being used repeatedly by reactionary commentators and politicians in every venue available.
They rail about "illegals" on radio talk shows. Hate groups like the Aryan Nation spew vitriol about the "illegal invasion" in e-mail blasts. Bill O'Reilly and Lou Dobbs drone on about "illegals" every night.
These distinct groups use the same language. The same words. The same phrases.
It's an orchestrated effort designed to instill fear in Americans. And it's working.
"The terms 'aliens' and 'illegals' provoke fear, loathing and dread," says George Lakoff, a linguist who teaches at the University of California at Berkeley. "There is a physiology to this governed in the brain. Certain ideas activate the neurons in the brain, which result in visceral bodily reactions."
That is why if you think "chocolate," you feel happy; if someone says "vomit," you feel disgusted.
Lakoff: "If you say 'illegal immigrants,' it activates an immigrant frame. And when people think of immigrants they think of their grandparents, they think of them as honorable, hardworking people."
But, he said, if a person cuts out the word "immigrants" and uses "illegals," it conjures a different image: People who are dangerous and want to commit criminal acts.
Throw in other scary words, such as "invasion" and "alien," and it's bound to make people feel scared.
That's how propaganda works. Repeat the words continually until it reshapes the way people think.
If you don't believe there is a plot to reshape the way America thinks, Google "Frank Luntz strategy report" and you'll find his 160-page blueprint for reactionaries, written by the man who helped Newt Gingrich write his "Contract for America."
In it, Luntz lists phrases reactionaries should never use. He cautions: "Never use 'drilling for oil'; instead say 'exploring for energy.' "
Luntz also says, "Never use 'undocumented workers.' Use 'illegal aliens."' He continues: "In fact, instead of addressing 'immigration reform,' which polarizes Americans, you should be talking about 'border security issues.' "
Lakoff says if we want to undo the damage done by alarmists, we need to reframe the issue by using alternate terms, such as "necessary workers" or "essential workers."
"It would create what's called a positive stereotype," he said.
We also would have to talk about how these workers are "upholding the American lifestyle" and "making the American dream possible for us."
Without these workers, crops would rot, trash would pile up in offices, hotel dust bunnies would become dust mongrels, and restaurants would have to be refashioned as places where "u-cook, u-serve."
When I think of all that undocumented workers do for us, I don't feel fear. I feel gratitude.
How about felonious border crosser?
This Lakoff guy cracks me up. I'm sure these suggestions will be about as well received as "public protection attorney" for sleazy class action lawyers - will go over as well as a pregnant pole vaulter!
Want people to feel better about killing babies? Call it "choice"...
So we can't use "illegal" as a shorthand noun because it's an adjective, not a noun?
OK. Then you can no longer say "whites" or "blacks."
You can no longer say "tax cuts for the wealthy." They're "individuals of wealth;" they're not "the wealthy."
Let's see how you libs like it.
Want people to have a more positive reaction to dead Iraqi civilians? Call them "collateral damage."
How about racist monsters? LaRaza does mean "The Race."
The descriptor "illegal(s)" is entirely called for in characterizing those who violate US sovereignty by entering the country illegally. I will continue to use it. And if it makes others uncomfortable, then all the better.
Maybe because it is ACCURATE?????
Anyone who supports the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution and sovereignty is subject to this judgement in this writer's opinion.
Lame...
What if we were continually told that chocolate causes vomiting?
Save the Pych 101, prof. These people are here illegally, and they're aliens. Put the two together and you get an accurate description. And if that description pains them too much they always have the option of going back to their homeland and then applying for legal U.S. residency status.
Spare me!! How about the TRUTH? Law-breaking, ILLEGAL alien is about as truthful as it gets! It matters not if they are "necessary" or "essential" workers. They are welcome to come and do those jobs "American's won't do" AFTER applying for a green-card, being granted permission to be here and obeying our laws!!
It isn't about scaring anyone. It's about telling the truth...and the turth is those who come here without permission are ILLEGAL aliens.
Which is exactly why people like this author use the time-honored term "immigrant" to mean "somebody who has entered the U.S. in violation of U.S. law".
I'm surprised the author didn't even touch the difference between "Amnesty" and "Earned citizenship".
Both sides play language games. Sometimes we win, like when the term "partial birth abortion" became part of the national vocabulary even though the pro-abortionists fought it. Sometimes we lose. "Illegal alien" is the most accurate term. Alien makes no assumption on whether the person is here to work, live here permanently, or just scam the welfare system. Illegal is factually accurate, which terms like "undocumented" try to confuse and disguise.
I have tried to tell my son that, but he just doesn't believe me. But I know for a fact that when he eats too much of it, he most definitely will vomit. I hope I haven't made anyone ill by saying such. lol
If schools and hospitals are not broken down by the deluge of illegal immigrants, and social services are not stressed, if the average American after spending his paycheck on food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and saving for his retirement and kids college had tons and tons of money left and doesn't know what to do with it, then the words illegal immigrant, alien and invasion has no meaning and he may want to take a look at what is the ideal answer to a complicated issue. Right now the problem is very simple, illegal immigrants are causing social and economical dislocation to the working middle class and poor in this country and he is not accepting the corporate argument that he must endure the dislocation in order to create a new profitable global economy. Especially when he has the number of voters on his side. Democracy still trumps the need to eek out a few extra percentages on the corporate quarterly reports.
Replacing 'illegals' with 'criminals' works for me.
Or invaders?
How quaint. To avoid dealing with complex problems in our society, the author has cluelessly succumbed to the same disease that she is decrying in her article, by using name-calling to disparage those whose beliefs she disagrees with...
I like crimmigrants myself.
"Those politicians are being goaded by nativists, racists and brainwashed people who are confused in our culture of fear."
"In it, Luntz lists phrases reactionaries should never use."
"Lakoff says if we want to undo the damage done by alarmists..."
I suppose only "savvy strageists" like Ms. Rodriguez are sufficiently enlightened to be responsible for "crafting" public debate.
The term "alien" has been used in the U.S. to mean a "non-U.S. citizen" for as long as I can remember and I immigrated to the U.S. 45 years ago.
The term "illegal" is simply an adjective describing the legal status of the entry into the country customarily used all over the World as, for example, in this Israeli web page in the Ladino language written by a family of Sephardi Jews in Israel describing their very own family:
"Su hijo Salomon Shechter, subio a Israel como un immigrante illegal el ano 1939, y se junto a la comunidad Tirat-Zvi, callo cuidando a los campos de la comunidad el ano 1943." ..........................."His son Salomon Shecter came to Israel as an illegal immigrant in 1939, joind the the community of Tirat-Zvi, and was killed tending the fields of that community in 1943".
Professor George Lakoff, you, sir, are a demagogue.
If you're prepared to quibble, you can take the position that "liberal" is an adjective, and not a noun.
http://www.chacocanyon.com/pointlookout/041110.shtml
Now, the problem with the term 'illegal immigrant' is not with the word 'illegal', but with 'immigrant'. There's no evidence they are immigrants. They constantly tell us they're here for the jobs, not immigration.
Now, why the Senate and the open borders folks think that the immigration crisis is that these illegal aliens are illegal simply baffles me. Heck, the illegal aliens here over 5 years in their own plan, don't even have to return to their home country. So, just being here illegally isn't a problem, they seem to manage just fine. It also baffles me, why they bother with spending so much time on an immigration policy, when such a policy is meaningless without shutting off illegal entry into the country. Who are they fooling? The American People? The Mexican People? Themselves? It's totally idiotic.
This idiotic article is a testimony to the fact that the entire popular appeal of liberalism is based upon euphamism.
And, to liberals, euphamism is the most important weapon in the aresenal.
Yeah, we can change the words to make ourselves feel better about rotten things. For example:
"Unbiased Media"
"Non Partisan study"
"Open minded leftist"
"Tolerant Political Correctness"
I'm pretty sure that Mexicans call the Central Americans that Mexican cops rob, rape, murder and assault "ilegales".
Or "mojados".
"People that help Republican campaign contributors increase their profits" would be accurate, but lengthy.
Something the Left mastered many years ago.
Does the phrase 'supreme measure of social defense' ring a bell? Hint: the Soviet Union under Stalin didn't officially practice capital punishment of political prisoners.
Stop! This is too funny.
you can control the words people use, you can frame the issue. In effect, you control the way people view it."
At last - a liberal who actually admits that they are stealing our language. A drunk is now an alcoholic, a druggie is chemically dependant, alcoholism/drug addiction are diseases not character weaknesses, deviancy is alternative lifestyles or preference blah blah blah. They've been doing this for 30 years and have succeeded in modifying most people's conversation. Personally , I don't like having my words taken away from me.
At one time the author criticizes the use of 'illegals' as a noun. Then later, he supports the use of a less order a more accurate phrase, 'undocumented workers' vs. 'illegal aliens'. The funny thing is that it's supporters of illegal immigration that are using propandistic phrasing like 'undocumented workers'.
huh, so the left can use these type of names to invoke images of fear (saturday night special, cop-killer bullet, assault weapon) even when the term does not fit what is being described, but when the right uses a term that is correctly applied- even if the shortened form is grammatically incorrect- they whine about it, and try to spin positive.
They are necessary if this guy needs someone to wait on his table or pick lettuce. If they get uppity and threaten his job, though, well that would be just unacceptable.
It will probably be further reduced to "oopsie".
Since Cindy is so opposed to this, I look forward to her column denouncing politicians who refer to tax increases as "investments", gun-grabbing as "public safety", property confiscation as "environmental protection" et cetera.
(wind)
(owl)
(crickets)
ping
And these libs are always looking for ways to call "vomit" > "chocolate"...and that is disgusting.
Their term of choice: "illegals." That shorthand term for "illegal immigrants" - which they use as a noun, making linguists cringe - is being used repeatedly by reactionary commentators and politicians in every venue available.
And the invader supporters call them "undocumented immigrants" and their shorthand term of choice is "immigrant" which obliterates the distinction between those who are here legally and illegally. But apparently this doesn't make the linguists cringe.
Let's consider the Guest Worker program here in Arkansas. From todays Ar/Dem/Gaz..they profiled a local Strawberry Farmer who hires Mexican Guest Workers. Here are the facts:
1. Odom the farmer, hires his field workers through the H-2A nonimmigrant visa program. Last year Odom was one of 114 Arkansas employers who hired 2,088 seasonal AG workers through H-2A.
2. Odom's workers receive $7.80 per hour (100% tax free), reimbursement for the round-trip transportation between Hidalgo (Mexico) and Arkansas, and free housing.
3. Because they are guest workers, H-2A employees receive 100% of their pay without any deductions.
Now, they contract from May to October here in Arkansas. Most of Odom's workers are married and have children back in Hidalgo, so they frequently send money home to their families..
If they go home in October, I think it's a pretty good deal all around..
sw
Taking a page from the authors book, they are not illegal immigrants. They are illegal Aliens. Right?
The problem is they are here illegally.
:)Easy Does It:)
That is exactly what is happening with the immigration debate.
To avoid dealing with complex problems in our nation - crumbling public schools, senior citizens who have lost their pensions, a shrinking middle class - some politicians are taking the easy way out by focusing on undocumented immigrants.
I don't see her using the same tactic.....
</sarcasm*>
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