Monday Lesson From History

I came across a very good piece recently in the online magazine Areo, “What the Intellectual Dark Web Can Learn from Orwell”.  A thoughtful discussion on the intellectual dark web and tribal politics in the twenty first century, which uses several lessons from George Orwell to drive home its theme.  An important article to digest, even if I do not agree with all of author Matt Johnson’s points.   What he does seem to suggest though, is something that is essential to understand, and which has become a focal point of recent social politics.  That message is words matter.  What is written or said is hugely powerful, and to appreciate the importance of singular words and to read analytically is a skill not often emphasized.

Johnson calls out the IDW, prominent members including Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin and Eric Weinstein, for not being consistent with their emphasis on free speech and avoiding inflammatory language.  Some of his examples are correct, some stretched to fit his theme, but still interesting to review.  But the takeaway for me is the reminder of how important language is in the age of identity politics.  I would hope all see the folly when the left labels anyone opposing any of their beliefs as “Hitler”.   Or the irony in masked Antifa rioters beating innocent bystanders in the name of fighting fascism.  Or the blatant ignorance in calling Orthodox Jew Ben Shapiro as an anti-semitic member of the alt-right.

But back to the importance of language.  Review this recent tweet from the Associated Press:

Sounds as if Kennedy’s car had a mind of its own, crashed off a bridge and through the grace of luck Kennedy was able to survive.  The words used (intentionally, no doubt) gloss over that he was drunk, fled the scene leaving Kopechne to a death that almost certainly would have been avoided if he acted with the minimum concern for her life as opposed to his own reputation. 

A recent brief video on Jordan Peterson touches on the importance of words, inaccurate labels, and the power of distraction.  Words matter, and never doubt that more than ever it is essential to carefully choose every word one writes and more importantly analyze every word one reads.