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October 08, 2002
The continuing necessity of selling bodies to the night
Right, I'd almost forgotten why I can't be a real jounalist. Like my identical twin cousin from England, George:
There are three televisions in the newsroom. Everytime he opens his mouth, sibilant whispers echo around the walls at low volume. "Weapons of mass destruction." "The world has also tried economic sanctions." "His own people." "Tough, immediate requirements." "Military conflict could be difficult." "We will plan carefully." Then applause. "That is not the America I know." "Security for the people of Iraq." "Using murder as a tool of terror and control." "America speaks with one voice." "The time remaining for that choice is limited." "May God bless America."
Calling out "Bingo!" in the midst of that probably wouldn't be appreciated. And I expect hisownpeople had been gassed, and hearing that phrase does trigger the Murdering Rampage of Rampaging Murder.
No, best I forgot about Bush's speech and missed it. I expect Mourning Edition will broadcast the lowlights later.
Marketplace just mentioned that weapons' manufacturer stocks may not be a lucrative short-term investment, as a longer war might divert funds from buying new toys to maintenance and paying the troops. What a waste. Don't they realize my portfolio is much more important? Wait, that's right, I don't have one.
Bush didn't try to say nuclear, did he? Just weaponsofmassdestruction?
Could point out Orwell's Politics and the English Language again:
As I have tried to show, modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug. The attraction of this way of writing is that it is easy. It is easier--even quicker, once you have the habit--to say "In my opinion it is a not unjustifiable assumption" that than to say "I think." If you use ready-made phrases, you not only don't have to hunt about for words; you also don't have to bother with the rhythms of your sentences, since these phrases are generally so arranged as to be more or less euphonious. When you are composing in a hurry--when you are dictating to a stenographer, for instance, or making a public speech--it is natural to fall into a pretentious, Latinized style. Tags like "consideration which we should do well to bear in mind"or "conclusion to which all of us would readily assent" will save many a sentence from coming down with a bump. By using stale metaphors, similes and idioms, you save much mental effort, at the cost of leaving your meaning vague, not only for your reader but for yourself.
But as usual, no one important was listening the first time.
Besides, Uncle oSAMa himself wants the deed done. Who am I to Refuse and Resist?
Uncle oSAMa link found at Warblogger Watch, while looking for another Orwell quote I vaguely remember the cheerleaders for Holy War taking out of context and transforming into another prepackaged rhetorical device. But I got discouraged, and gave up. Really should work on that passionate intensity thing. . .
Posted by Aaron at October 8, 2002 07:11 AM
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