Top news! Bruce Jenner is reassigning his gender! To whom you may ask? And I may ask : “Who is Bruce Jenner?”. I just know s(he) is all over the papers and TV, but have no idea who (s)he is, or what his/her achievements are. The only thing important is that he is doing a sex change operation to become a she. This is what the public is mostly served to blind their eyesight to the important things and hidden truths about many wrongdoings. Fertile ground for doublespeak (doubletalk). George Orwell said it best in his book 1984: “Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”(bk.2; ch.9). Therefore, it stands to reason that “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” (bk. 1; ch.1). Someone wants us to be able to feel and think according to their wishes. Calmness and peace or agitation and combat spirit, as ordered. We the people are a strong tool for the government, politicians and business industries if manipulated correctly; thus, we are going to look at some examples from those spheres how doubletalk functions in deliberate actions.
Starting with one of the most hurtful and inhumane acts, servicing the target, we arrive at the place of pain and suffering for power or profit. Have you guessed what it is? Yes, bombing! Nevertheless, to politicians and some military personnel it is something different. Air Force Colonel David Opfer said it best when complaining to reporters about their coverage of the Vietnam War: “You always write it's bombing, bombing, bombing. It's not bombing, it's air support.” (Illinois.edu). The media is the strongest asset that people in power have, so it must be carefully examined what is said and how, so the public might not suspect that something destructive is being done. It is highly unlikely that their children and families are in the zones influenced by air support.
Finally, let us not miss Coca Cola, one of the most successful businesses ever established, in their attempt to cunningly advertise drinking more water. They are behind Michelle Obama’s campaign “Drink up” which is promoting healthy living and rehydration. No visible problem? Well, according to the Corporate Accountability International, it was stated in the White House press release that people should be encouraged to drink both tap and bottled water. Nevertheless, even on the Coca Cola’s website in 2001, to take an excerpt from Peter H. Gleick’s Bottled and Sold – The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water, it was published that servers must insist on promoting Cola’s profitable drinks when the customer asks for tap water. When the media caught on the story, it was quickly taken off the site (stopcorporateabuse.org). Somewhat healthy living, but on whose account?
We come to a conclusion that doublespeak serves its purpose well to the unknowing and unsuspecting public. We must learn how not to be that public, how to critically think and use our mind and better judgment to see through the empty words that mislead and misguide us. If prying too much, however, we definitely can become collateral damage, so we must censure our freedom of speech whenever we can and watch out in front of whom we speak frankly. Surely, we can master that in our lifetime.
Works cited
Lange, Bernd-Peter. George Orwell, "1984" München: W. Fink, 1982. Print.
"Shining a Spotlight on Doublespeak." National Council of Teachers of English Archives at the University of Illinois. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
"The Doublespeak Award." NCTE Comprehensive News. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
"Bottled-water Industry Doublespeak on "Drink Up" Campaign." Corporate Accountability International. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
