"But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. [...] This invasion of one's mind by ready-made phrases (lay the foundations, achieve a radical transformation) can only be prevented if one is constantly on guard against them, and every such phrase anaesthetizes a portion of one's brain.”
― George Orwell, Politics and the English Language
"It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words."
― George Orwell, Symes, 1984
"'Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. [...] 'Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?'
― George Orwell, Symes, 1984
Orwell wasn't coming up with this stuff out of whole cloth. He was drawing on actual real world history. The control of language has long been a favoured tool of those who want to control others. The very declaration "transwomen are women" which we've all heard asserted is an assault on language and an attempt to force a new definition which was never the old.
Words and symbolism are powerful things. Most of the trans movement's success is achieved by what? By sticking T on the end of LGB. Does it have much to do with sexual orientation? Not directly. Does it have to do with freeing people from gender roles? Perversely it's dependent on gender roles. And yet via groups like Stonewall, it presents to people that it's some extension of the LGB movement and gains sympathy, legitimacy and funding. It's long piggy backed on sexual orientation but never been the same. Hell, the body dysmorphia of an adolescent girl uncomfortable with the changes of puberty is not the same thing as an auto-gynephillic adult man cross-dressing for sexual reasons but both get classed as "trans". Why? Because the same word is used. If gender dysphoria and auto-gynephilia were the common and specific terms then we as a society would have no difficulty separating the two and dealing with them differently, getting help for the former and being able to socially condemn the latter. But we don't - we say "trans", a blanket, obscuring term and are rendered powerless.
Maybe I should write up a short essay on language and symbolism in the trans movement the better to help people push back. For example, how do you popularise a disassociation of LGB and TQ? Doing so is the most effective way of hindering trans targetting of kids and of preventing blow back on regular same-sex attracted people from the excesses of the gender specials and "dealing with sex-negative kids" crowd. For example, I'm playing around with symbolism like writing LGBTQ. A strikethrough of the TQ part. It's simple, easily done in both graphical and textual format and it makes clear one:
- You support the right to same sex attraction
- You're actively rejecting the blurring of that with the trans and current Progressive lobby.
- Is easy for others to emulate.
Seeing LGBTQ in places is infinitely quicker and more easily assimilated than even a short essay on how Trans and Sexual Orientation aren't really the same thing. Ditto I'm going to regularly use the terms Autogynephilic and Gender Dysphoric whenever I'm talking about one of these groups to actively highlight the difference between the two rather than both falling under a "trans" word.
Symbolism, language... these things matter. 2022 made 1984 look like 1967. Insurrection was precisely the right term that was used for the thread title used by @Wasityou with it's connotations of active pushback and uprising. Time is past for using some of the same tools that have been used against us. For all their money and influence, we have one great advantage on our side: reality.
"Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them."
― George Orwell,