Doublespeak and the War on Terror
This publication from the Cato Institute (Wikipedia entry) should be mandatory reading.
One of the central insights of George Orwell’s classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four concerned the manipulative use of language, which he called “newspeak” and “doublethink,” and which we now call “doublespeak” and “Orwellian.” Orwell was alarmed by government propaganda and the seemingly rampant use of euphemisms and halftruths — and he conveyed his discomfort with such tactics to generations of readers by using vivid examples in his novel. Despite our general awareness of the tactic, government officials routinely use doublespeak to expand, or at least maintain, their power.
(Via Schneier on Security).
Glen Greenwald also has a couple of great examples that also resonate with Orwellian overtones, including revisionism. The Anonymous Liberal also has a post highlighting the increasing lack of respect for due process.
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