What do the words mean?

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."

- Rudyard Kipling

This quote expresses why we listen to the words that people speak but we ignore the actions of those people. Words can make us feel good just like drugs or alcohol so we will overlook things.

In an interesting piece in the April 15 Wall Street Journal titled ‘War by Any Other Name’ Joe Queenan talks about how people can be manipulated, distracted or even controlled by creating new generic phrases.

Some examples are:

War on Terror is now ‘overseas contingency operation’
Beheadings are now ‘cephalic attrition’
Genocide is now ‘maximum – intensity racial profiling’
Mass murders is now ‘peoples’ liberation army’

Guess what ‘off–site impasse adjustors’ is or ‘the ostensibly malefic’? Look them up at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123958305263912309.html

The purpose is to make the new terms or phrases more acceptable and less offensive. After we use a phrase over and over we become comfortable with it and not as upset by its implications if it doesn’t sound as bad or horrific as the actual act.

If we aren’t careful we can forget what the phrase really means. And maybe we don’t want to be reminded of how bad life can be at times.

Actions speak louder than words is a phrase that will serve us better if we will only take the time to watch what others do and the way they act and then think about what those actions tell us.

Then check out the words they use to see if they describe the act or the action or do they seem like something designed to confuse you or mix up your thinking.