Political language ...

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... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

- George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

Comments

B said…
Yes, very true.

I am currently reading "Lies My Teacher Told Me," which looks at how American History books depict history and how that shapes minds and quells curiosity considerably. Also, the movie "Thank You for Smoking" is a great comedy about political language. The main character is a lobbyist for the tabacco companies and the focus of the movie is slant.
March 01, 2007 6:01 PM
Richard said…
breal: then you will love this quote from his essay Looking Back On The Spanish War: I know it is the fashion to say that most of recorded history is lies anyway. I am willing to believe that history is for the most part inaccurate and biased, but what is peculiar to our own age is the abandonment of the idea that history could be truthfully written. In the past people deliberately lied, or they unconsciously coloured what they wrote, or they struggled after the truth, well knowing that they must make many mistakes; but in each case they believed that 'facts' existed and were more or less discoverable.
March 01, 2007 6:19 PM
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