When people talk with each other today it’s common not to say what we mean. That’s not such an unheard of idea.

Honey, do these jeans make me look fat?
No.
[It’s your butt that makes your jeans look fat but I can’t say that.]

Would you like to go out again?
Yes.
[He never heard from her again.]

He’s a really great worker.
[I’m glad he’s out of my department. He wasn’t a good employee.]

It’s easier to say what we think someone wants to hear instead of saying what we actually mean. We hope to avoid hurting another person or the confrontation that might ensue. We answer by the painless way out. We want to get our way so we gloss over the truth. These are common practices in our communication and it’s considered acceptable. It’s delivering a message by using words that hide our true thoughts.

That is one way to use language to our benefit. Another way is by changing definitions of words in order to con others. People use the new definitions to deceive you and you don’t know it. It has been happening for years yet most people aren’t aware of it.

Continue reading “Manipulating Language”