Unspeak: Words Are Weapons by Steven Poole

Unspeak is language as a weapon.Every day, we are bombarded with those apparently simplewords or phrases that actually conceal darker meanings.lsquo;Climate changersquo; is less threateningthan lsquo;Global Warmingrsquo;; we say ethniccleansing when we mean mass murder. As we absorb andrepeat Unspeak we are accepting the messages thatpoliticians, businessmen and military agencies wish us tobelieve. Operation Iraqi Freedom did more than put apositive spin on the American war with Iraq; it gave theinvasion such a likeable name that the American newsnetworks quickly adopted it as their tagline forreporting on the war. By repackaging the language we useto describe international affairs or domestic politics,Unspeak tries to make controversial issues unspeakableand, therefore, unquestionable. In this thought-provokingand important book, Steven Poole traces the globalizingwave of modern Unspeak from culture wars to the cultureof war and reveals how everyday words are changing theway we think.

Publisher:	Abacus
Year:	2007
Binding:	Paperback
ISBN:	9780349119243
Condition:	Good
Description:	Pages beginning to tan.

Note: This image is from a stock photo and may differ from the actual cover.

SKU: 1593681
Location: Politics