Language, Please

 

"Bill" stock photo, uncredited. It says "United States Of America" but homegrown extremists are making the country less united, making the moderates feel flat and insignificant, and 'giving the bill' to them. This constitutes a political metaphor. Please do not print out as that may be considered counterfeiting.-Shelob

 

You are ready?

I am. Please.

Hairy and I, from the very beginning, have talked about stats, averages, and other mathematical concepts. Hairy, in predictable fashion, found various ways to point out that average people have average intelligence. 

That doesn't mean most people are stupid. 

What we WANT is to RAISE that average considerably. It's better for everyone if everyone is smarter, right? Yes.

So, let's talk for a moment about a GREAT thing that's average. Centrist, moderate politics. Between forty-three and ninety-five percent of voters, depending upon policy referenced.

Thank you. Think for just a moment about all the memes, shorts, digs, soundbites, and other propaganda you've encountered recently. Most of them fall into two groups these days: one group is the 'opposites' war, where two people on opposite sides try to 'destroy' or roast each other or make the other one sound stupid or wrong. I can't tell you how many of those I've seen. Usually I think both sound stupid and wrong about different parts of what they say.  Estimated viewings from indicated research period and internet history: 6240

[snort] Thank you. Another group is the 'check out THIS crazy' where a supposedly centered person is set upon by an extremist. Many of these are staged, some of them are reenactments, and most of the rest of them are badly captured and edited. In those posted, the 'crazy,' or extremist is othered, insulted, mocked, 'destroyed,' laughed at, triggered, etc.  The 'non-crazies' usually seem a little mean, and not always saner and smarter. Estimated viewings from indicated research period and internet history: 3745

[pause] Thank you. [pause] When was my research period ? Begun 11/2/22, 4:22 67 PM EST, on accidentally activating your Google icon on your phone. Ended 2/25/23 10:23 64PM EST, as beginning typing this episode. Intermittent net use, averaging 44: 16 03 daily excluding work-only use, with simultaneous use included.

[pause] what's simultaneous use? One window open for music while typing, another open for games, another open for recreational viewing.

ah [pause] You've excluded work-only and blogging? Yes.

[mic picks up sub-vocal] Didn't realize it was THAT much. [back to typing] Okay. What I wanted to point out is the language thing that extremists are trying now. On the left, extremists are trying to insist that everyone should alter the pronouns that we use every day and the ways we label people. On the right, the names of organizations are outright fraudulent.  Examples?

[typed during consulting notes twenty-seven times] Newsmax and Fox News aren't really news.We've pointed THAT out for years now. Faux News is now finally facing charges for some of it. I'm finding out that Ralston's and Torchinsky's groups are even worse than I thought they were. 'Americans For Prosperity' should be named 'Certain Prosperous Americans For Themselves.' 'American Legislative Exchange Council' should be named 'Exchange For People With Agendas Against Certain American Legislation." "Citizens For Responsible Solar" and about twelve 'unaffiliated' offshoots they advised and helped start up should be named "Citizens Responsible For Stopping Solar Energy Projects For Bad (Mostly Wrong) Reasons By Whatever Means Necessary." They lied, by the way, about not being funded by fossil fuels interests. Money gets 'cleaned' of such conflict of interest in a similar manner.  [uses camera to peek at notes] Please elaborate. The Singer connection is interesting.

You know about that? Your Google searches are part of your internet history.

[snort] Of course you do. Peabody Energy is a largely coal-oriented company. Largest investor is Elliot Management. Mostly owned by P. Singer. Singer's foundation donated startup money to SBR Enterprises which SHOULD be named 'So Brazenly Ridiculous Enterprises.' S. Ralston owns SBR Enterprises. Shell companies anyone? 

The difference between the left and right is simple. The libs yell and scream that they're being personally wronged if people don't do what they want them to. The cons start companies with deceptive names, funnel money legally through more deceptively-named companies and then hide it and lie about it to journalists, thinking no one can search public records and find out. Corporate doublespeak and shell games vs. screaming about victimhood and canceling.

The problem is that they BOTH ARE TRYING TO CONTROL US THROUGH LANGUAGE. It is legal and completely unethical. It's also how fascists get their start and totalitarians gain power. Both sides are horrible. Both sides need to be resisted. Both sides are hemming in the rational lovers of freedom. Both sides are rooted in and uprooting the sanity and unity of our nation. You want to know who's centered? Look at how they DON'T use language.

That's it, Shelob. Post it? Thank you.