New Words For 2006 . . .
Every year, various lexicons add new words to their newest edition. These are based on their having been recently established on the language scene, having taken root in custom and usage, and imparting a unique meaning. Words such as bashing are examples of exaggerations for criticism, but carry the weight and thrust now of something quite different: of positively closing legitimate dialogue.
Some long-established words have been euphemisms, less than precise, misleading or outright wrong, in my opinion crafted to be discouraging, even silencing of opposing views.
I have four words which I anticipate will make their way into the American scene as more precise, more courteous and encouraging of dialogue, and, of course accurate. I might even dare say more . . . welcome.
1. PRIVACY must be replaced with Sovereignty from now on, a much stronger, more recuperative, healthier word. Overworked and exhausted as a word for a single American Value, privacy was almost an illusion, supported by our value system for as long as we could, and a casualty of political ambition, indifference, and infighting. Privacy as even a word in discourse is all dried up. Sovereignty is a word more unique to Americanism, and more just and encompassing as it embodies all of our rights to be secure in our papers, our homes, free to run our households and communities as we wish in our way of life where a political or personal No means No. Americans can become cognizant of a much higher American value and recapture privacy along the way as individual American citizens are affirmed as they should be as sovereign persons.
2. POLITICAL CORRECTNESS – and it’s been protested before – should be changed forever to be known simply as common courtesy. Can we do this in 2006? More than a decade ago, the backlash of anger of our fellow Americans’ being mistreated, excluded and forgotten – by some – took hold to make itself known to all, retaliating with pressure that soon became coercion and eventually thought control for all. Anger can do that, where payback is all it is, and it’s a bitch. Diffusing that anger would be possible with a return to simple courtesy and a reasonable expectation of a reasonable amount of it, and a small corner of justice better served for all. Not everybody goes out of their way to be courteous with others, but manages sincerity if managing only a grunt, and isn’t compelled under threat of ruination to do anything more. Designations, such as racial differentiations, could be whatever works, free from coerced compliance or else, the ultimate personal resentment of PC, and the sometimes overkill of it all [Payback]. For a while, races were changing names as often as we change officials.
Where this fluid societal feature could seek and find its own level, let it do so without punishment and the exclusion it was all designed to prevent. It’ll be more honest, and more respectful that way, more inclusive, and a major step to restoring a lot of the interconnected values in America, such as freedom of thought. The oppressive mood to equalize under payback is unAmerican, but I didn’t even need to say that; the underlying truth is this: isn’t common courtesy all one is really entitled to on that subject?
3. CONSERVATISM should be replaced with Republicanism. Where conservatism implies a personal values system and distinction of parties, Republicanism is about the overall system we build and live by where Democracy isn’t what we are -- not really.
Our present system is also not one where we continuously battle a state presuming to grant us our rights, but one which protects our rights, with limits not on the people, but on the officials.
As one example, under Republicanism, individual Liberty as a value is more important than Peace. Like household is more important than nearly anything else.
Many, many Americans across the political spectrum understand this fully, at least at home, but outside the walls of the residence, some abandon the concept and fight for causes deleterious to the home, including theirs.
One of the best kept secrets is that democrats live their home lives as conservatives, just as interested in privacy over piracy as I am. And sanctity over sedition. You get the idea.
This is why we are not speaking of conservativism as a party value any different from the home lives of democrats, but something we all have in common. As a nationwide value, it would constitute a super-majority and grow far beyond party into defining the nature of our society.
This is why we change Conservatism to Republicanism. There is no longer any denying of that one value we share in common.
4. The RFID Chip should be replaced with the noun Flea, if only in shorthand, industry slang. The RFID Chip will certainly spread like fleas, with, as always, the help of people, unknowingly. RFID is already here, I know, but with the intrusions to come, we don’t have to like it. I don’t, because the whole story isn't being told.
The technology is tempting for law enforcement for its yield of information and ease of operation, speedy and elaborate database sharing and retrieval in monitoring behaviors, plus its widespread chip distribution in the future. Further partaking in this is commerce and international interests, all connected by shared databases from credit to criminal, from commercial to court: the sharing will be entirely justified in the minds of the ambitious as they make their way into human implantation; a naive spirit of cooperation will seal our fate.
The threat to the person is in mistake, abuse and retaliation when personal data is so elaborately detailed and so widely distributed, like the feathers of a torn pillow.
Seemingly harmless today, it’s temptations will be tomorrow’s nightmares; it’s still a Flea.
Precision is important to understanding meaning in dialogue, even facetiously. In a free nation, it’s important to understand the values we’re discussing as much as the message of each so we don’t agree today and regret tomorrow something we find later we didn’t really – fully – understand at all. Maybe not even close.
Part of the problem in today’s dialogues and tomorrow’s regrets is a sense of betrayal in what we thought we were supporting when the sales pitch was entirely dishonest.
It all begins with changing the words back.
___________________________
John Longenecker’s new book is Transfer Of Wealth - The Case For Nationwide Concealed Carry. Now available worldwide.
THIS WEEK'S TALKRADIO BOOKINGS:
January 5th, 2006
WLTH, Gary Indiana. 8:30 A.M., Mountain Time
The Jonathan Boose and Rob Mohammed Show.
Some long-established words have been euphemisms, less than precise, misleading or outright wrong, in my opinion crafted to be discouraging, even silencing of opposing views.
I have four words which I anticipate will make their way into the American scene as more precise, more courteous and encouraging of dialogue, and, of course accurate. I might even dare say more . . . welcome.
1. PRIVACY must be replaced with Sovereignty from now on, a much stronger, more recuperative, healthier word. Overworked and exhausted as a word for a single American Value, privacy was almost an illusion, supported by our value system for as long as we could, and a casualty of political ambition, indifference, and infighting. Privacy as even a word in discourse is all dried up. Sovereignty is a word more unique to Americanism, and more just and encompassing as it embodies all of our rights to be secure in our papers, our homes, free to run our households and communities as we wish in our way of life where a political or personal No means No. Americans can become cognizant of a much higher American value and recapture privacy along the way as individual American citizens are affirmed as they should be as sovereign persons.
2. POLITICAL CORRECTNESS – and it’s been protested before – should be changed forever to be known simply as common courtesy. Can we do this in 2006? More than a decade ago, the backlash of anger of our fellow Americans’ being mistreated, excluded and forgotten – by some – took hold to make itself known to all, retaliating with pressure that soon became coercion and eventually thought control for all. Anger can do that, where payback is all it is, and it’s a bitch. Diffusing that anger would be possible with a return to simple courtesy and a reasonable expectation of a reasonable amount of it, and a small corner of justice better served for all. Not everybody goes out of their way to be courteous with others, but manages sincerity if managing only a grunt, and isn’t compelled under threat of ruination to do anything more. Designations, such as racial differentiations, could be whatever works, free from coerced compliance or else, the ultimate personal resentment of PC, and the sometimes overkill of it all [Payback]. For a while, races were changing names as often as we change officials.
Where this fluid societal feature could seek and find its own level, let it do so without punishment and the exclusion it was all designed to prevent. It’ll be more honest, and more respectful that way, more inclusive, and a major step to restoring a lot of the interconnected values in America, such as freedom of thought. The oppressive mood to equalize under payback is unAmerican, but I didn’t even need to say that; the underlying truth is this: isn’t common courtesy all one is really entitled to on that subject?
3. CONSERVATISM should be replaced with Republicanism. Where conservatism implies a personal values system and distinction of parties, Republicanism is about the overall system we build and live by where Democracy isn’t what we are -- not really.
Our present system is also not one where we continuously battle a state presuming to grant us our rights, but one which protects our rights, with limits not on the people, but on the officials.
As one example, under Republicanism, individual Liberty as a value is more important than Peace. Like household is more important than nearly anything else.
Many, many Americans across the political spectrum understand this fully, at least at home, but outside the walls of the residence, some abandon the concept and fight for causes deleterious to the home, including theirs.
One of the best kept secrets is that democrats live their home lives as conservatives, just as interested in privacy over piracy as I am. And sanctity over sedition. You get the idea.
This is why we are not speaking of conservativism as a party value any different from the home lives of democrats, but something we all have in common. As a nationwide value, it would constitute a super-majority and grow far beyond party into defining the nature of our society.
This is why we change Conservatism to Republicanism. There is no longer any denying of that one value we share in common.
4. The RFID Chip should be replaced with the noun Flea, if only in shorthand, industry slang. The RFID Chip will certainly spread like fleas, with, as always, the help of people, unknowingly. RFID is already here, I know, but with the intrusions to come, we don’t have to like it. I don’t, because the whole story isn't being told.
The technology is tempting for law enforcement for its yield of information and ease of operation, speedy and elaborate database sharing and retrieval in monitoring behaviors, plus its widespread chip distribution in the future. Further partaking in this is commerce and international interests, all connected by shared databases from credit to criminal, from commercial to court: the sharing will be entirely justified in the minds of the ambitious as they make their way into human implantation; a naive spirit of cooperation will seal our fate.
The threat to the person is in mistake, abuse and retaliation when personal data is so elaborately detailed and so widely distributed, like the feathers of a torn pillow.
Seemingly harmless today, it’s temptations will be tomorrow’s nightmares; it’s still a Flea.
Precision is important to understanding meaning in dialogue, even facetiously. In a free nation, it’s important to understand the values we’re discussing as much as the message of each so we don’t agree today and regret tomorrow something we find later we didn’t really – fully – understand at all. Maybe not even close.
Part of the problem in today’s dialogues and tomorrow’s regrets is a sense of betrayal in what we thought we were supporting when the sales pitch was entirely dishonest.
It all begins with changing the words back.
___________________________
John Longenecker’s new book is Transfer Of Wealth - The Case For Nationwide Concealed Carry. Now available worldwide.
THIS WEEK'S TALKRADIO BOOKINGS:
January 5th, 2006
WLTH, Gary Indiana. 8:30 A.M., Mountain Time
The Jonathan Boose and Rob Mohammed Show.
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