A Nation of Victims
Folks,
Here’s a fascinating article that explicates the linguistic techniques that Bush has used so effectively to win the support of the American people, in the face of all evidence disproving his ideas. I was grateful to the author for identifying the techniques I have noticed but couldn’t quite put my finger on. There are some great observations in here, like this one:
“To create a dependency dynamic between him and the electorate, Bush describes the nation as being in a perpetual state of crisis and then attempts to convince the electorate that it is powerless and that he is the only one with the strength to deal with it. He attempts to persuade people they must transfer power to him, thus crushing the power of the citizen, the Congress, the Democratic Party, even constitutional liberties, to concentrate all power in the imperial presidency and the Republican Party.
Bush’s political opponents are caught in a fantasy that they can win against him simply by proving the superiority of their ideas. However, people do not support Bush for the power of his ideas, but out of the despair and desperation in their hearts. Whenever people are in the grip of a desperate dependency, they won’t respond to rational criticisms of the people they are dependent on. They will respond to plausible and forceful statements and alternatives that put the American electorate back in touch with their core optimism.”
Give it a read!
A Nation of Victims
By Renana Brooks
The Nation