Looking for Policy Solutions in the Dictionary

A culture obsessed with the performance of language thinks it can solve problems just by finding the right vocabulary to describe them.

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Dear Reader (Including those of you letting David French live rent-free in your intra-cranial studio space), 

In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon allegedly says Rome’s slide into decline was a period in which “bizarreness masqueraded as creativity.” Alas, I haven’t been able to find the Gibbon quote in the book(s)—then again I’ve also never been to Lima, Peru, but I’m perfectly happy to take it on faith that it exists.

Anyway, whether he said it or not, this observation struck a chord with me. It’s a bit reminiscent of the famous distinction drawn by Hubbins and Tufnel: “It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.” But I think there’s a subtle difference. Most stupidity isn’t bizarre, and not all cleverness is necessarily creative.

I know I’ve mentioned it a few times before, but I think it’s worth repeating one of my favorite scenes from Don Quixote. I’ll paraphrase:

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  1. Avatar photo
    Jason Gibson

    ancient persians "followed the science" on torture..........wow

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    Ben Connelly

    This playing with words stuff comes directly from postmodernism and the idea that there is no objective reality only narrative and that by changing the words we change reality. Not only that but then deconstructionism kicks in and the words themselves have no fixed meaning either so we change them.

    As to this bit:

    “ I think what unites cultural combatants on all sides is the weight they give to taking offense. Not everyone thinks offensive speech is equivalent to violence, but being offended has become a new American pastime.”

    Sometime around when I was born or my early childhood, American culture shifted from a dignity culture (the successor to honor culture) to a victimhood culture. Victimhood culture was invented in left wing academic fever swamps also known as universities (see postmodernism, deconstructionism, critical theory, and the speech code wars of the early 90a). It then infested American culture and rose to the top. The culmination was the election of Donald Trump, the first president who embodied this new culture. (Biden, like his former boss and Bush etc., is a product of dignity culture and still lives and operates in that world.) I’ve often said that the Left invented victimhood culture (snowflakes etc.) but Donald Trump perfected it. Now it infests both sides and their petty arguments.

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    Tiffany

    I think a feature of American culture is an embrace of blaming feelings or emotions on other people. “Look what you made me do!” is possible because the unsaid “Look what you made me feel!” comes before it. I think if we chose to take responsibility for the emotions that arise inside ourselves, it would go a long way toward defanging the political and media tendencies of exploiting emotion for money or power. The mindfulness community (on the left) is the only place I’ve seen responsibility for emotions being encouraged and taught.

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      Billy.Faires

      I blame this on Taylor Swift and her song, "Look What You Made Me Do."

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  4. Marla Hughes

    My favorite line of any article you've written is "complexity is subsidy". Succinct and on point.

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    Paul B

    Well...as much as I will always enjoy them, this is the last G-File I read while eating lunch. You know which part, Jonah.

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    Ted Gale

    Too many of us are like Lewis Carroll's Humpty Dumpty

    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Humpty_Dumpty_Tenniel-When_I_use_a_word.png



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  7. Kurt Von Fuchs

    As always I really love reading your stuff. I also want to thank you for saying that you are recycling material, by my count do you have discussed the birthing person versus mother thing at least 12 times in the last two weeks. Don't get me wrong I totally agree with you but that one's getting old. You do discuss this but I think it's important to point out that some forms of asininity are just really really really really really really annoying and some forms of ass amenities are really really really dangerous like pretend the virus isn't real or downplaying 1/6.

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    Johntadian

    "...we as a culture have given words too much power." Maybe we could start with the latest "hardest working word", insurrection.

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    Tele

    Re: Pregnant Women.

    The wisdom of Hubbins: It’s not your job to be as confused as Nigel.

    https://youtu.be/Pyh1Va_mYWI

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  10. Avatar photo
    Steven Anderson

    Collegehumor did an excellent cartoon about scaphism if anyone enjoys learning https://youtu.be/2IDQZXRM3WI

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