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How Powerful *is*the Pen?
I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately: the relationship between language and power. Language shapes thought, and thought energizes action. Language is a powerful tool in winning public support, but it’s also a powerful weapon in pitching worldview against worldview.
Some years ago cognitive scientist George Lakoff wrote a book called Don’t Think of An Elephant, which examined the ability of George W. Bush and neo-cons to frame issues in such a way that their thoughts and decisions seemed the most rational. The book has been updated since then, but Lakoff’s principle still holds. The title conveys one of his main insights: if you negate a frame, you strengthen it. In other words, if you say “don’t think of an elephant,” you can’t help but think of one.
Words aren’t neutral. They convey attitudes, and they come saturated with meanings from our own prior experiences and beliefs. Many words not only have purely denotative meaning (identification), but also connotative meaning (reflecting the writer’s emotions, attitudes and value judgments). One way to explain this link is through the concept of framing. A frame is an abstract notion referring to a structure of expectations or preexisting knowledge about…
