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Greg's Reviews > Unspeak: How Words Become Weapons, How Weapons Become a Message, and How That Message Becomes Reality
Unspeak: How Words Become Weapons, How Weapons Become a Message, and How That Message Becomes Reality
by
by
20 Dec 2013
Far out. I've got smoke coming out of my ears. Review to follow.
19 Oct 2019
My critique after some years of consideration of UNSPEAK is, I'm speechless. No, not really, that's just a cop-out from being slack and not getting around to writing a review.
I refer to the book from time to time which is always rewarding. I'd pencil highlighted in the margin on many pages. There is so much interesting information within the covers of UNSPEAK.
THIS BOOK WON'T DATE.
When I bought this book in late 2013 and started reading, I followed the author of FB, who happened to have recently toured Australia. He posted a photo in Feb. 2013 from Perth WA of a poster which had caught his eye, advertising 'The Home of Fish and Chip Gelato: Australia's first Fish and Chip Gelato.' with enticing colour image of said product.
Mr Poole added a one word response. 'Jesus'.
UNSPEAK isn't for everyone, only those who are literate and interested in language and words.
Freedom of speech. There's a subject.
In the chapter on 'Nature', while examining the term Intelligent Design, page 49, on creationists trying to have ID taught as science alongside evolution in schools. The U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from promoting religion. The Supreme Court stopped previous attempts at teaching creation in science classes.
The Robin Williams gag from the film Man of the Year, about a television political satirist who runs for president, came to mind. Presidential candidate Tom Dobbs, at a campaign rally talks about freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
"Intelligent Design. They say you must teach Intelligent Design. Look at the human body. Is that intelligent? I find it more interesting. You have a waste processing plant next to a recreation area."
Through the collective multiple examples in the book Steven Poole reiterates the other problem of Unspeak - the over-use of words - appropriating them - words like 'genocide' to describe trivial grievances, thus disarming and diluting them. Example page 96.
Newspeak was a warning of what could happen. Unspeak is not fiction, it is real. Unspeak is slowly but surely killing the meaning of language.
Instead of removing words from the language, words and phrases have been appropriated and overused to dilute their meaning.
Far out. I've got smoke coming out of my ears. Review to follow.
19 Oct 2019
My critique after some years of consideration of UNSPEAK is, I'm speechless. No, not really, that's just a cop-out from being slack and not getting around to writing a review.
I refer to the book from time to time which is always rewarding. I'd pencil highlighted in the margin on many pages. There is so much interesting information within the covers of UNSPEAK.
THIS BOOK WON'T DATE.
When I bought this book in late 2013 and started reading, I followed the author of FB, who happened to have recently toured Australia. He posted a photo in Feb. 2013 from Perth WA of a poster which had caught his eye, advertising 'The Home of Fish and Chip Gelato: Australia's first Fish and Chip Gelato.' with enticing colour image of said product.
Mr Poole added a one word response. 'Jesus'.
UNSPEAK isn't for everyone, only those who are literate and interested in language and words.
Freedom of speech. There's a subject.
In the chapter on 'Nature', while examining the term Intelligent Design, page 49, on creationists trying to have ID taught as science alongside evolution in schools. The U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from promoting religion. The Supreme Court stopped previous attempts at teaching creation in science classes.
The Robin Williams gag from the film Man of the Year, about a television political satirist who runs for president, came to mind. Presidential candidate Tom Dobbs, at a campaign rally talks about freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
"Intelligent Design. They say you must teach Intelligent Design. Look at the human body. Is that intelligent? I find it more interesting. You have a waste processing plant next to a recreation area."
Through the collective multiple examples in the book Steven Poole reiterates the other problem of Unspeak - the over-use of words - appropriating them - words like 'genocide' to describe trivial grievances, thus disarming and diluting them. Example page 96.
Newspeak was a warning of what could happen. Unspeak is not fiction, it is real. Unspeak is slowly but surely killing the meaning of language.
Instead of removing words from the language, words and phrases have been appropriated and overused to dilute their meaning.
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Reading Progress
November 12, 2013
–
Started Reading
November 12, 2013
– Shelved
December 19, 2013
–
Finished Reading
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Yes absolutely Cecily, words and labels can go out of vogue but the essence of UNSPEAK will always be relevant. There are so many topics in this book one could expand on that I didn't know where to start. It's great to revisit sections of the book.
Yes, I'm so glad I did. I had been vaguely meaning to do so, but was prompted by Petra's review of a book covering similar ideas, You Are Not Human: How Words Kill, by Simon Lancaster. Her review is here: /review/show...
Thanks, I'll have to look at that one.
Another subject related book I've partly read (the first chapter) and is on the TRL is, SHORTCUT: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas, by John Pollack. He was former presidential speechwriter for Bill Clinton.Chapter 1 is 'How Our Analogical Instinct Fuels Thought.'
Thanks for the rec. It looks interesting.
You're right about it not dating. Even if some of the specific examples become less relevant, the principles apply.