Politicians and Language

Question 4- Write an essay in which you support, challenge, or qualify Lakoff's assertion that language is important when politicians are presenting ideas to society rather than the simply the substance of the ideas.

Politicians often manipulate the language they use in order to help sway more people to vote for them. One example as stated by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis is the use of name calling. With the upcoming presidential election, the most blatant example of this is between Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. They call each other names such as "a little baby" and "a nasty guy" in order to "appeal to [voters] hate and fear" (Institute for Propaganda Analysis). By calling each other names, they make the other candidates appear less qualified while making themselves look better. Another example of choosing certain words can be expressed by political consultant Frank Luntz. He claims that "a single word or phrase can undermine or destroy the credibility of an otherwise successful pitch or presentation" (Luntz). Furthermore, he provides examples that show words that shouldn't be used and what should replace them. For example, instead of "foreign" he suggested using "international," or instead of saying "drilling for oil," one could say "exploring for energy." Some may say that these "phrases [are] eerily reminiscent of the euphemisms coined by the government" (Kakutani), but whether they are for good or for bad, it is evident that politicians use them often. Their purpose of manipulating language in addition to giving the substance of the ideas is because "people are very,very touchy about their relationships" (Pinker). Politicians work to ensure that their relationships with the voters are maintained in a healthy state. Whether it's Hilary Clinton trying to get the young vote or Ben Carson attempting to connect with the black community, the goal of politicians is to try and receive the most votes, so they try not to fully alienate too many groups. By using language that isn't too strongly favored toward any side, they can use calculated ambiguity to help with their cause.