“If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” — George Orwell, 1984
Orwell understood something that most people miss, the most powerful propaganda does not tell you what to think. It gives you the vocabulary for thinking. Control the language, and you control the limits of debate.
The Euphemism Machine
The single most powerful tool in the propagandist’s kit is the euphemism. If you can rename an atrocity, you can erase it.
- “Collateral damage” - civilians killed by bombs
- “Enhanced interrogation” - torture
- “Special military operation” - full-scale invasion
- “Ethnic cleansing” - genocide
- “Restructuring” - mass layoffs
- “Austerity” - making the poor pay for the rich’s mistakes
- “Peacekeeping” - military occupation
Each euphemism serves a specific function, it creates distance between the act and the word. If a pilot says “I killed 30 people,” that is a problem. If they say “I caused collateral damage,” it is a statistic. The act does not change. The word does.
Framing: The Invisible Cage
A frame is the structure around the debate. It determines what questions can be asked and what answers are acceptable.
Consider two ways to discuss taxes:
- Frame A: “We need to reduce the tax burden on job creators to stimulate economic growth.”
- Frame B: “We need to increase taxes on the wealthy to fund public services.”
Both are about taxes. But they start from completely different assumptions. Frame A assumes that wealth belongs to the rich and anything taken from them is a “burden.” Frame B assumes that public services are a collective good and the wealthy should contribute their fair share.
The frame is the battle. The facts come second.
George Lakoff, in Don’t Think of an Elephant (2004), demonstrated how conservatives in the US won the framing war for decades by controlling the language of debate: “tax relief” (relief from what? A burden?), “death tax” (instead of estate tax), “school choice” (instead of defunding public schools). The left kept trying to argue facts. The right was arguing frameworks.
Newspeak: The Goal
Orwell’s 1984 imagined a language called Newspeak, designed by the Party to narrow the range of thought. Words were removed, meanings were inverted, and eventually thoughtcrime would become impossible because there would be no words to think the crime with.
We are not in 1984. But we are not far.
Consider:
- “Pro-life” - a label that implies the opposition is “pro-death”
- “Pro-choice” - a label that implies the opposition is “anti-choice”
- “Reform” - can mean making something better or making it worse
- “Freedom” - can mean the freedom to do what you want, or the freedom from interference, or the freedom of capital to move wherever it pleases
When a word can mean anything, it means nothing. And when words mean nothing, the propagandist can fill them with whatever they want.
Real Example: The Ethiopian Media
Watch how state media covers protests:
- “Legal and peaceful demonstration” - approved by the government
- “Unrest” - people are angry and the government is worried
- “Terrorist activity” - the government is about to use force
The event is the same. The word determines whether the public supports or condemns the response.
The Passive Voice Trick
“Mistakes were made.” Not “we made mistakes.”
“The decision was taken.” Not “I decided.”
“Civilians were killed.” Not “our soldiers killed civilians.”
The passive voice removes the agent. It turns a specific action into a natural event. It is the grammatical equivalent of a euphemism.
How to Fight It
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Translate euphemisms. When you hear “collateral damage,” think “dead civilians.” When you hear “austerity,” think “cutting services for the poor.” Keep a mental dictionary.
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Identify the frame. Before arguing about facts, ask what frame is this argument operating in? Is the question itself rigged?
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Refuse the loaded label. You do not have to accept the terms of debate. If someone calls healthcare reform “government takeover,” name what it actually is.
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Read Orwell. Seriously. Politics and the English Language is a short essay and it will change how you read every news article for the rest of your life. ( also marx, heavily read marx)
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Name the agent. When you hear a passive construction, ask: who did it? Who was responsible?
coming soon… The Information Firehose — Propaganda 101