‘Words That Hide the Truth’: What Would George Carlin Say About Today’s Linguistic Mess?
George Carlin was a national treasure, a brilliant man who managed to take his grand ideas and viewpoints and turn them into bite-size gems of comedy that could be understood by all.
“Words That Hide the Truth”
AfterSkool is a YouTube channel created by a man named Mark. AfterSkool presents epic historic or brilliant speeches of thought giants of the past in animation form. AfterSkool just published a video that animates a comedy bit by George Carlin called “Words That Hide The Truth”. In this video, the comedy legend describes the “softening” of language in America.
George Carlin makes the critical point that by couching a phrase that refers to a harsh reality in a soft blanket, it removes humanity from reality, and avoids confronting the pain. Without confronting the pain, the harsh reality won’t be properly acknowledged or dealt with. The first example given by Mr. Carlin showcased how the phrase used to describe wounded soldiers went from “Shell Shock” in WWI to the current “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”.
I would have loved to hear what George Carlin has to say about today’s linguistic mess, although now it’s gone so far that commonly used phrases mean the exact opposite of their literal definitions:
- “Gender-Affirming Care”
- “Reproductive Healthcare”
- “Public Health”
- “Safe and Effective”
- “Misinformation”
I highly recommend giving this video a watch, and subscribing to AfterSkool!
One of our country’s most important freedoms is that of free speech.
Agree with this essay? Disagree? Join the debate by writing to DailyClout HERE.