The Power of Words

Words are incredibly powerful. Clear articulation of ideas can inspire revolution, free the enslaved, rally a dejected army or challenge others to greatness. The English language has many colorful and important words that paints a picture and, if mastered, can move legitimate mountains. Unfortunately, political campaigns choose words that best suit their particular interests and activist groups use loaded terms to slur their opponents. It is important that people be cautious in their choice of words and bring powerful ideas to the table instead of loaded rhetoric. It also important to have these powerful ideas grounded in reality. As Wilfred McClay wrote in his article "The Danger of Abstract Words" in First Things:

That caution is especially appropriate in a modern democratic culture, and so it is not surprising that Tocqueville had a keen awareness of it. “Men living in democratic countries, then, are apt to entertain unsettled ideas, and they require loose expressions to convey them. As they never know whether the idea they express today will be appropriate to the new position they may occupy tomorrow, they naturally acquire a liking for abstract terms.” The chief virtue of an abstraction, he observed, is that it is “like a box with a false bottom; you may put in it what ideas you please, and take them out again without being observed.”

It is important to note that the Obama campaign was not the only culprit of using generic terms. While the Obama campaign used the generic words of 'hope' and 'change' to argue for their victory, the McCain campaign used words that boast populist sentiments, 'elitist' and 'socialist' are just two out of many words. It is incredibly expedient to use broad words than to advocate for a clear worldview. When the word Nazi is constantly used, one loses the sense of evil that the ideology embodied. When the powerful nature of love is devalued through 'free love,' the word is diffused.

When we devalue a terms meaning by using them inappropriately the speaker merely alienates their opponents and adds a layer of unneeded complexity to the dialogue. The term 'Nazi' is thrown around so often and is applied so broadly that it stifles legitimate conversations. When talking about words, we must look to the incredible orators of the past to gain a better understanding about dialogue and statements. Martin Luther King was able to articulate ideas and used words with power, clarity, and meaning. As Dr. King said in his famous I Have a Dream Speech:

In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Dr. King used words to advance a cause. He drew upon the principles of the past and progressed forward with them (conservatism at its most basic philosophical form). He could have inflamed his opponents by using loaded terms. Instead Dr. King brought people together with a cohesive argument. That is what our postmodern society must regain. Words are powerful and they should be used with respect.