Posts Tagged ‘Health Reform Debate’
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
How Words Took the Life out of The Health Reform Debate
By James W. Squires, MD
I recently was informed that if I didn’t send text messages, my communication skills were simply out of synch with the modern world. So should I become a “texter?” Sorry, this isn’t for me. I like real sentences where words are carefully chosen for their precise meaning and intent. Maybe it was all those hours I spent diagramming sentences or memorizing vocabulary words. I must admit, though, this texting business, with its shortcuts and abbreviations, raises an interesting question: Why do we choose a particular word or phrase? Three reasons come to mind in the context of the language of health care reform. Number one is to create fear of change, number two is to stop debate, and number three is to demonize change proposals as to force change proponents to defend themselves or explain facts that the listener doesn’t want to hear. What I call Stoppers and Provocateurs are the two leading weapons of choice.
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