Steven Poole — Unspeak: Words Are Weapons

Abacus 2007 Paperback 304 Unspeak is language as a weapon. Every day, we are bombarded with those apparently simplewords or phrases that actually conceal darker meanings. 'Climate change' is less threatening than 'Global Warming', we say ethniccleansing when we mean mass murder. As we absorb and repeat Unspeak we are accepting the messages that politicians, businessmen and military agencies wish us to believe. ... By repackaging the language we use to describe international affairs or domestic politics, Unspeak tries to make controversial issues unspeakable and, therefore, unquestionable. In this thought-provoking and important book, Steven Poole traces the globalizing wave of modern Unspeak from culture wars to the culture of war and reveals how everyday words are changing the way we think. Pages beginning to tan. Good