Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Political Language: Doublespeak, Talking Points, Fallacies

Today:
How is language sometimes used to confuse and manipulate?


Starter 10.27:
Lutz says, "Language is power; those who control language control the world.  Power may come out of the barrel of a gun, but without the control of language there can be no real control of society."  Do you see this as true?  How so?  What might be some real world examples of how this plays out?


Extra credit opportunity!
Watch Republican Debate tomorrow night (CNBC).
Identify logical fallacies and examples of doublespeak.  (Quote the candidate. Name the fallacy.  Explain.)
1 point per fallacy.  (If you watch it with a partner, split the points.)




Doublespeak
Exaggerated Example:  Kevin King
What is doublespeak?
Review each of the concepts.

  • jargon
  • euphemism
  • gobbledygook
  • inflated language




What are "talking points"?  How can they be turned into doublespeak?
Example:  Governor of Florida
What are some of the talking points we have see in the Republicans and Democrats?


Lecture:  Logical Fallacies
Additional Resources
Awesome You Tube series of fallacies videos
For an exhaustive list of fallacies