The Power of Language

Some people call George Carlin a comedian. I've always called him a philosopher. Most comedians joke about the surface crap that happens to all of us in real life...ie. peanuts on the plane, life cereal, the Burger King drive-thru (Dane Cook sucks by the way, and his comedy is completely indicative of the increasing stupidity of the American public. Good for him for capitalizing on it though...).

Carlin jokes about the real life stuff too but often he digs a few levels deeper than most. He talks about the stuff we don't want to hear. Some say that makes him "shocking" but i just think it makes him honest. He has a platform, and a medium that intends to make people look at things in a humorous way that also makes them agree at the same time, and sometimes he uses that medium to make some very serious points. Even the seven words you can't say on TV, which ended up being a Supreme Court case as vulgar as it is, makes a commentary about what the words are, why some people don't want you to say them, and why language is so powerful that we actual have to ban some of it...

One of my favorite bits ever is when he's talking about the power of language and makes the point that in World War I, when a soldier's nervous system shut down from the strain of fighting, it was called Shell Shock. Tough words...straight to the point...lots of consonants, sounds like something pretty easy to diagnose. Fast forward to Vietnam (and every engagement since) and we're now calling it Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We've added a hyphen, made it sound medical, and we've blamed the victim. The soldiers aren't shocked anymore, they now have a disorder. They weren't shocked by something they saw anymore. Something they saw triggered a disorder they already had. Carlin goes on to make the point that if we have kept it at Shell Shock, maybe we wouldn't treat it so lightly and some of these veterans might actually be getting the help that they need. (Let's see Mr. Cook take a break from Employee of the Month and talk about war for a while eh? Then we'll see who's funny...)

It's a pretty genius sentiment and i truly wish i had thought of it myself. But since i've listened to it about a thousand times, i've started noticing little changes in the language that just seem to slip by unnoticed in this PC world of ours (ie. prostitute becoming sex worker...what's she going to be next? an automated pleasure receptacle?) and trying to call them out when i see them.

I found this story on (who's surprised?) FoxNews this morning: At Least 21 Dead in Baghdad Homicide Bombing

And this same story on the Wall Street Journal Online: Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 21 Iraqis

Notice any difference? Think that that difference in language doesn't change the intention of the story? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I've Never Been Less Surprised

Wow...a stripper from Texas stole money to buy a Nascar team? Who would have ever thought?

The only thing less surprising than this would have been if a stripper stole money to build an octagon in her backyard and scheduled UFC fights...

Also, i decided not to post on this earlier this week but i will now.
Is it bad that before i was even done reading this headline that i was saying in my mind, "You liar. You're so completely full of shit." Shouldn't one have at least a tiny iota of belief in the words of the President of the United States of America??? I mean, just a little? There's not a thing this guy could say to me from now until eternity that i would say, "You know what? He's definitely telling the truth, being completely sincere, and i for one, think he has a point..." Not a single damn thing.

This also pisses me off. Bush uses a fucking HURRICANE metaphor to describe the war?!? Is he serious? And, just like the Britney Spears thing (see below), it's not like Bush is writing his own speeches, but i can't help but blame him. At some point, he's gotta say, "Hey listen guys...i know you're trying to be dramatic and all but i was asleep in my bed when America's shores were destroyed by a friggin hurricane and we kinda looked bad... Ix-Nay on the urricane-Hay OKEY DOKE??"

But he doesn't, so it's his fault. I mean, i guess the metaphor is apt, he's fucked up both things simultaneously, so we can compare them together now...

And while we're at it, is this the only thing the CIA has gotten right in the last decade? Methinks yes.

Today's Sign That the Apocalypse is Upon Us

Nothing says spirituality and Godliness more than pasting an inspirational passage thanking people for their prayers OVER YOUR FRIGGIN NIPPLES!!!!

I'm pretty sure Britney isn't in charge of her own photoshop, so she's not responsible for this... although that's pretty funny to imagine:
"Is dis one a dem newfangled 'lectric boxes, like, a TV that i can type on ya'll? Ya'll serious? Shit damn yeah!!! Ya'll get me some pork rinds while i work on this here internets fo a spell..."

But still, i can't help but blame her anyway.

(click on it to read it. I couldn't make it fit. Stupid internets and TVs i can type on.)

(Wow...second one this week. The powers that be are really picking it up lately. )

Today's Sign That the Apocalypse is Upon Us

They're really going to let this happen?

Secondly, i actually posted on my sports blog after last night's terrific Suns-Spurs game. Check it out here.

Also, Neil passed this along to me today and everyone should check it out. I honestly don't think that ending the war completely is the right course because it's going to make us look like even bigger assholes than we already are, but we do need to hold the people that made the decisions responsible by voting them out of office in the next election. Check it out:

The Iraq war should never have been started, and it's long past time to end it.

We were one signature away from ending this war, but President Bush defied the majority of Americans and vetoed the legislation. He has shown, again and again, since the invasion began, that he will not listen.

But the will of the American people must be followed. If PresidentBush won't end the war, it's up to Congress -- the representatives of the people -- to end it instead. We need 16 Republican Senators to override a veto -- any 16 of the 49 Republicans can choose the people over their party and decide to end this war.

In 20 states, an incumbent Republican Senator faces re-election in 2008. They will have to make clear very soon whether they will continue to defy the will of the American people.

Now is the time to hold them accountable for their choices on the war.

Barack Obama is doing just that, and you can, too. Make sure they hear your voice too.

Learn how here: http://www.barackobama.com/16votes

Reducing Junk Mail

Not only is it annoying, but it uses up a ton of natural resources. Turns out most of these companies aren't even using recycled paper. They're just cutting down trees and sticking them in your mailbox.

Here's a great link that helped me reduce the crap that stuffed my box every week.