Much of our personal and cultural perspective on the world is colored by the language in which our concepts and ideas are couched. Changing that language can therefore alter our attitudes about what we hear and see.
"Responsibility," for example, is a word with positive reverberations. It reeks of reliability, accountability, and self-control. It carries connotations of honesty, dependability, and courage.
So why have the media adopted the buzz phrase "claims responsibility" for the violent outrages committed by terrorists who cover their faces in cowardly anonymity, hide themselves behind innocent civilian populations, plot behind closed doors, and, in general, act totally irresponsibly?
If the media changes their terminology to "admits guilt" the concept itself changes dramatically. "Guilt" is a suitably pejorative notion to apply to murder. An admission of guilt clearly conveys the message that the perpetrators know wrong from right and have willingly made their hideous choice.
Regardless of the politics, culture, or religion involved in any dispute, no matter how complicated or divisive, there is the rational approach to resolution and there is the emotionally selfish, vicious, and vindictive response.
Terrorist groups of all persuasions have defined themselves as criminal by their heinous indifference to that most fragile quality: human life. Let's expose them for what they are and call a spade a spade.
Virginia Bola is a licensed clinical psychologist with deep interests in Social Psychology and politics. She has performed therapeutic services for more than 20 years and has studied the effects of cultural forces and employment on the individual. The author of an interactive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://drvirginiabola.blogspot.com
whole house cleaning Deerfield ..The furore in the BJP camp in India, triggered by... Read More
Earlier this month, I heard President George W. Bush and... Read More
Presently Universities and Private Enterprise are working to build more... Read More
The plight of whistleblowers ? those employees who sound the... Read More
As baby boomers, we have been spoiled all of our... Read More
Last year a Maryland State Legislator whom I presume never... Read More
Last week, I began my look ahead to the 2008... Read More
Recently the Los Angeles Transit workers are on Strike and... Read More
We know that the International Terrorists like the idea of... Read More
The Justice Department is at it again; promoting themselves in... Read More
An idea to defend oil infrastructure in the Middle East... Read More
As concerns grow over the threat of bioterrorism and weapons... Read More
The official figures are staggering: 35% of the workforce -... Read More
The newest pebble reactors are easy to build and manage... Read More
Pierre Dupont de Nemours:After arranging the Armistice that ended or... Read More
President George W. Bush has unofficially won his re-election bid... Read More
Q. Should the Government be concerned if the CPI rises... Read More
In a move that rocked the online world and left... Read More
The Iranian elections are certainly interesting indeed. The ruling party... Read More
An irresponsible Chinese General made a very telling comment recently.... Read More
The most exciting event in Slovenia last week was when... Read More
Recently on C-SPAN, there were two gentlemen debating free trade... Read More
Today we have a new franchise report from the Federal... Read More
Are the junior attorneys in the Attorney General's office leaving... Read More
There are so many problems with our perceived perfect checks... Read More
home cleaning services Des Plaines ..Prosecutors with political ambitions are known to modify the truth... Read More
Earlier this month, I heard President George W. Bush and... Read More
It appears we are having a terrible situation with the... Read More
Are you happy with all this so-called security after 9-11?... Read More
The number of countries in the world at the moment... Read More
1) IS HAVING A DEMOCRACY MORE EFFECTIVE IN ADDRESSING POLITICAL... Read More
Government budgets represent between 25% and 50% of he Gross... Read More
With gasoline prices at the pump climbing strongly into the... Read More
In his bid for the presidency, John Kerry pronounced a... Read More
If we go hog wild towards the liberal agenda where... Read More
It cities across America water is an issue, the flow... Read More
When you look at the news, immigrants are dying trying... Read More
Sizing up North Korea is important for a war there.... Read More
A War on Terrorism? Conventional war being brought on an... Read More
Wealth Distribution is often discussed at length in periodicals such... Read More
The RSS is getting feedback from its 140 pracharaks or... Read More
What ordinary people are saying about U.S. televangelist Pat Robertson... Read More
There is nothing-absolutely nothing-insofar as political power when it is... Read More
[Author's Note: Another essay that I wrote on notebook paper... Read More
Well having studying the need for decreasing America's dependence on... Read More
After the dance the piper must be paid. To help... Read More
The European Court of Justice ("ECJ") ruled in Praktiker Bau-... Read More
When organising a country or a group of people in... Read More
There is a connection between economic growth and unemployment. There... Read More
All UAVs Need a Self Destruct BLOS DeviceWhat do you... Read More
Political |