Jennifer Latson / Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University
”Battle Cry” / How Casual Use Of Militaristic Hyperbole Gets Everyone Up In Arms
https://business.rice.edu/wisdom/word-w ... ryone-arms
On Monday, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney entered the “embattled” Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as it was described in a Wall Street Journal headline, armed only with a supply of donuts.
Somehow, Mulvaney made it out of the metaphorical war zone alive.
But he’s far from the only one to find himself the subject of the bellicose buzzword in recent news stories.
These days, the word “embattled” punctuates headlines like so many bugle blasts. It has lanced elected officials, business leaders and companies, not to mention entire industries and even regions.
Few people have been more embattled over the past year than Uber founder Travis Kalanick. A Google search for “embattled CEO” produces a wall of posts — almost all about the former head of the scandal-mired ride-hailing company. In June, Slate commented on Kalanick’s near-constant state of embattlement:
People love to describe him as “embattled.” There have been plenty of folks throughout history who were far more embattled than he (the Biblical Abraham, Napoleon, victims of sexual harassment, to name a few). But still, if you look at the past week, you will see that it was quite an embattled one for him.
On June 13, Kalanick announced he would be taking a break from the company. Would this make him any less embattled? Fat chance. “Uber's embattled CEO, Travis Kalanick, is taking an indefinite leave of absence,” read Vox’s headline.
Kalanick isn’t the only one to buckle under the weight of the word, though. ..
.. Using the language of hyperbolic violence fuels division and intolerance, said Rice English Professor Terrence Doody.
“What I’ve been noticing is that people now do not grant any tolerance to opposing views.
You don’t say, ‘I can understand how you see things, but I don’t view it that way,’” he said. “It’s ‘You’re evil and I hate you.’
If you use that level of hyperbole, there’s no chance of reconciliation.”
This is a new development in American rhetoric, Doody believes.**
Even at other divisive moments in our nation’s history, the language was never so extreme. Consider the Civil Rights movement, he says.
“If you listen to Martin Luther King’s speeches, they have a wonderful churchly rhetoric.
They’re not violent, they’re very traditional, very calm,” he said.
To create a more civil society, we need people who use language publicly — people like journalists, business leaders and politicians —
to start a backlash against violent metaphors, Doody said.
“We’d have to call it something other than a backlash, though,” he added. “That’s a violent term, too.” ..
hmm. churchly rhetoric? (church-y rhetoric?) what a world this is! God have mercy.
**new devlopment? ..
maybe “new” here refers to following MLK Jr, who was rather new, in approach, but not long-lived, others stepped in and took over with their own interpretation of how things should go. in his name. SERIOUS POLITICS
- - - - - - -
i’m generally for the point of media professionals toning down their aggressive language, ending speculation, personal opinions, gossip, lies, thing is .. militaristic hyperbole, or at least analogies, is/are used throughout scriptures.
i’m not holding my breath about media professionals improving anything of their own volition.
the sole hope for improvement lies with consumers. stop buying what they’re selling. [starting with the AP.]
PUT THOSE DONUTS DOWN!
