The social and political effects of language
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Susan Blum, Lies That Bind: Chinese Truth, Other Truths (Rowman, 2007), p. 130:
…Though language was viewed as having pragmatic consequences in the past, during revolutionary China and especially during the Cultural Revolution the social effects of language were consciously emphasized, as an entire propaganda department took over the government. All words and communication were politically charged, and people had to become completely conscious of the effects of their utterances, knowing they would be scrutinized. At the same time, a premium was placed on the spontaneous eruption of profound feelings of revolutionary ardor. This forced many people to pursue a path of performance, of masking feelings they could scarcely acknowledge to themselves.
A society that already had social expectations, roles, face, and other aspects of social life as part and parcel of all communicative norms simply went as far as it could pursuing the logic of that view: individual feeling was not only submerged but eradicated, replaced by proper sentiment….
=====
Watch your tongue!
Suggested readings
- "Bringing back the Cultural Revolution — in English" (5/28/21)
- "Glossing English with Sinograms" (3/14/21)
- "Girlie men in the PRC" (9/5/21)
- "Girlie men in the PRC, part" (9/8/21) — Why words matter
- "All clear in kindergarten" (5/30/19)
- "Baffling propaganda: 'black' and 'evil' in contemporary Chinese society" (4/7/19)
[Thanks to Mark Metcalf]
AntC said,
March 12, 2022 @ 10:09 pm
people had to become completely conscious of the effects of their utterances, knowing they would be scrutinized.
And now we have Twitter/Facebook/Weibo that preserves everyone's obiter dicta in perpetuity: drunken ramblings, youthful indiscretions, support of yesteryear's 'party line' that is no longer today's party line.
Everybody must go in fear something unwholesome will get unearthed. At least in the democracies you'll only get 'cancelled', not imprisoned and tortured.
Philip Taylor said,
March 13, 2022 @ 9:58 am
"And now we have Twitter/Facebook/Weibo that preserves everyone's obiter dicta in perpetuity". Not everyone's, Ant. Not mine, for a start, and I am certain that I am not alone in treating communication channels such as those you name with complete and utter contempt.
John Rohsenow said,
March 13, 2022 @ 5:22 pm
你/他(等))思想有问题. -Ni/ta (deng) sixiang you wenti- – 'Your/his.(etc.)
thinking has problems'- Once, and in some quarters even now the most ominous words in Mainland China, which can get you 'invited' to the local Public Security Bureau for a 'chat' with the authorities and/or told to write a 'self criticism' if you're a CCP member.
AntC said,
March 13, 2022 @ 5:24 pm
Not mine, for a start,
Haha! A self-referential refutation. You post on LanguageLog. And apparently under a real name. I'm sure the CCP is monitoring here, since there's so many Sinosphere commenters.
Philip Taylor said,
March 14, 2022 @ 3:36 am
Yes, I comment on Language Log. I do not comment, or post, or tweet, or "like" on any of Twitter, Facebook or Weibo, the three communication channels to which you referred. No conflict there. And yes, of course, under a real name — why would I want to hide behind a nom de plume ?
Andreas Johansson said,
March 14, 2022 @ 4:26 am
@Philip Taylor:
As far as AntC's point is concerned, Language Log and Facebook are equivalent: they both perserve your more-or-less well-considered opinions for a decent approximation of perpetuity. If one of your opinions is one day deemed unacceptable, "it was posted on LL, not Facebook!" will not be considered a defense.
Benjamin Orsatti said,
March 14, 2022 @ 8:11 am
Andreas Johansson said,: "If one of your opinions is one day deemed unacceptable, "it was posted on LL, not Facebook!" will not be considered a defense."
Huh? Sonofa…
Philip Taylor said,
March 14, 2022 @ 8:24 am
I don't actually care whether "one of [my] opinions is one day deemed unacceptable"; I am certain that, to many, many of them are. My sole point was that not everyone elects to expose themselves on Twitter, Facebook or Weibo — some of us (myself included) are quite happy to state our positions unequivocally on tightly-focussed fora such as Language Log while at the same time deliberately eschewing any involvement whatsoever with amorphous fora such as the three cited.
Andreas Johansson said,
March 16, 2022 @ 1:52 am
So your only point is you're snooty? Okay then.
Philip Taylor said,
March 16, 2022 @ 5:46 am
If avoiding any involvement whatsoever with three of the greatest plagues ever to be inflicted on society counts as snooty in your eyes, then yes, I am snooty by your definition. Personally, I think that I am simply possessed of a modicum of common sense.