Wednesday, August 24, 2022

The B vocabulary / beguile, bedevil, berate

 The B vocabulary consisted of words which had been deliberately constructed for political purposes; words, that is to say, which not only had in every case a political implication, but were intended to impose a desirable mental attitude upon the person using them.  

George Orwell-1984


The control of language supplies a power seeker with an integral tool for shaping thought.  To win an argument without the use of logic or reason may seem counter intuitive, but in fact, it can be far more effective, and easier to accomplish.  Simply by framing the argument in terms that preclude an accurate analysis of the issue, an advocate sidesteps a rational discussion that could lead to greater understanding, and substitutes instead a nebulous concept ripe for manipulation.  

Thus, when the term "groomer" is bandied about in the discussion of child welfare, the revulsion it provokes impedes dispassionate discourse. It instead ignites a fearful hatred focused on anyone who disagrees with the proposition that orthodox gender conformity is the only measure of true rectitude, and any other opinion is tantamount to child abuse.  Likewise, using the designation "woke" reframes hateful bigotry as virtuous; implying that concern and compassion for others and their differences is inherently bogus, and such, must be strenuously opposed.  

The employment of such terms imposes a mental state of willful ignorance upon the user; rendering them nearly impervious to persuasion, no matter how reasonable or judicious the argument may be.  The development of such term doesn't occur by accident; they are crafted specifically to bend and warp sensible minds to an unsound state, and thereby beguile the unwary.

The B vocabulary may be trendy, it may be convenient, and it may be ubiquitous, but beware; lest it becomes an excuse to bedevil and berate others, thereby bedimming the perception of truth and virtue.