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DP1

Spotting Manipulative Language: What to look for

Not sure where to look? If youre stuck, try the old stand-bys: personal ads and quotes from the
presidential candidates are both excellent places to look. Catalogues and magazine ads, too. If you want a
challenge, try to find a supposedly objective news report that you believe contains biased language.

Newspeak: the language of 1984, its purpose is to make thoughtcrime impossible by

narrowing the range of thought. To quote Syme, In the end we shall make thoughtcrime
literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.

Euphemism: a pleasant way of saying something unpleasant. Passed away for died;
previously owned for used; downsizing for massive layoffs; exploring for energy for
oil drilling; collateral damage for civilian casualties; etc. A euphemism takes the edge off
of a harsher or more explicit phrase.

Weasel words: euphemisms that deliberately misrepresent, or that in fact mean the very
opposite of what they suggest. Weasel words are intentionally sneaky. Universal voluntary
military training; part of a nutritious breakfast; up to 50% off all of our productsthese
phrases misrepresent the truth, although they are not necessarily untrue.

Doublespeak: language constructed to disguise or distort its own actual meaning. In

doublespeak there is a contradiction between the word and its meaning. Pacification used
to describe a violent, bloody conquest; when we talk about war, were really talking about
peace. Notice that this language takes an act of doublethink to comprehend! (Note that this
term does not appear in 1984 but was clearly inspired by that novel.)

Obfuscation: the deliberate use of language to confuse an issue. This is not lying, but it is
often untruthfulconfuse your listeners to manipulate their conclusions. It depends on what
the meaning of the word is is. If is means is and never has been, that is one thing. If
it means there is none, that was a completely true statement. Now, if someone had asked
me a question in the present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely
true. It's a success that hasn't occurred yet. I don't know that I view that as a failure.

Also to think about and look for:

Careful naming A good catchword can obscure analysis for 50 years. Wendell Wilkie.
Often a catchy name can obscure the issue itself: pro-life, pro-choice, Coaltion of the
Willing, The Patriot Act, Social Security
Implied bias Every word is a preconceived judgment. Friedrich Nietzsche . Does your
use of these wordsillegal vs. undocumented, social security reform, people
contain an unspoken bias or judgment?
Biased lines of questioning (Leading the witness) Is an answer or a bias already implied
in the questions you are asked? Ex: Why was the Ku Klux Klan needed? Is an answer or a
bias already implied in the questions you are asked? Etc.!

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DP1

PS. Remember the morals of this story: Be conscious of the language

you consume. * Do not be manipulated by anyones language. *
Demand clearer, more truthful language from your world. * If you
can "read, interpret, analyze, and understand" The Scarlet Letter and
Beowulf (the objective of many English classes), then you must also read,
interpret, analyze, and understand the world around you! (Your
freedom of thought depends on this!)

Ideas taken from:

http://www2.hoover.k12.al.us/schools/sphs/Faculty2/bmatthews/Documents/Spot
ting%20Manipulative%20Language%20handout.pdf