I thought it was interesting to learn how language can shape reality. The way things are worded and the descriptions given about certain situations affects the way that we think of them. I thought one of the best examples was with the rape trial. The defendant was not lying with the statements he made, but by not assigning blame it completely changed how everyone viewed what happened. Instead of saying "I did something," he said "Something happened," which is still the truth, but it makes it look like both parties were responsible.
Another example I found interesting was the writer's strike. Depending on who was "offering" and who was "demanding," one side looks like the bad guy and one side looks like the good guy, when really the words are interchangeable for both parties involved. When you think about it that way, it makes it hard to decide whose side you should be on.
What both examples show is that if you use the correct language, you can alter a situation to make it appear the way you want it to, and you can still technically be telling the truth.
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I also thought it was interesting to look at how people use language to shape opinion. The examples you discuss definetly show how language can be used as a form of manipulation and/or control.
i wasnt there for this last class but the blog posts have been really interesting. i think this is all very true and i completely agree with it. the way people talk can easily manipulate what is really being said rather than what went on.
truth with the words! writters strike sucks... words are not so cool when they are manipulated.
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