Reply #15: How true

[Mabus]

I get so frustrated sometimes. Last year I was talking to my congressman at one of the NAACP's Juneteenth events. The conversation got around to voting and then the 2000 election. I mentioned Palast and he said "who?" Turns out he didn't know about felon scrubbing in Florida. I about cried. Sometimes it seems they get so caught up in what the pundits are saying that they've lost touch with reality.

I really recommend Lakoff, the government's "media propaganda" materials and consortiumnews.com's "Perception Management" articles. They've really opened my eyes. I use Lakoff as my "I Ching." I read a few passages everyday and then watch television and read the papers to see how it is being used. It is very weird sometimes but I still make those calls to CNN to complain about the language used in their "stories" and news events. I was calling everyday last fall complaining about the spin "will this HELP Bush" or "will this HURT Kerry" they used on stories. I told them that the constant repetition of the words "help" and "Bush" in the same sentences were creating a positive image. While, using negative words like "hurt" and "Kerry" in the same sentences promoted a negative image. Why? because positive words were used in describing Bush more often then when talking about Kerry. I didn't think it was fair and I let them know.

I agree this needs to be a part of our dialogue if we are going to make any inroads with the average Joe in America.