What Our Words Tell Us

[Scuba]

NYT columnist David Brooks makes some interesting observations about the use of words, then leaps to the wrong conclusion.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/opinion/brooks-what-our-words-tell-us.html

About two years ago, the folks at Google released a database of 5.2 million books published between 1500 and 2008. You can type a search word into the database and find out how frequently different words were used at different epochs.

...

The second element of the story is demoralization. A study by Pelin Kesebir and Selin Kesebir found that general moral terms like “virtue,” “decency” and “conscience” were used less frequently over the course of the 20th century. Words associated with moral excellence, like “honesty,” “patience” and “compassion” were used much less frequently.

The Kesebirs identified 50 words associated with moral virtue and found that 74 percent were used less frequently as the century progressed. Certain types of virtues were especially hard hit. Usage of courage words like “bravery” and “fortitude” fell by 66 percent. Usage of gratitude words like “thankfulness” and “appreciation” dropped by 49 percent.

Usage of humility words like “modesty” and “humbleness” dropped by 52 percent. Usage of compassion words like “kindness” and “helpfulness” dropped by 56 percent. Meanwhile, usage of words associated with the ability to deliver, like “discipline” and “dependability” rose over the century, as did the usage of words associated with fairness. The Kesebirs point out that these sorts of virtues are most relevant to economic production and exchange.

David's missing the boat when he concludes that less frequent use of "community" words is a "bottom up" phenomena. The masses aren't writing all those books, David.

[patrice]

1. K&R

[Cerridwen]

2. What role do the publishing houses have in all this?

Which books and topics are more/less likely to be published? Which values and ideals are most likely to comprise those topics?

Not only is it not "bottom up" with regard to writers, it is not "bottom up" with regard to publishers. Who owns the publishers?

Then, let's look at where the money is spent for marketing of said works. Which authors, topics, ideas get the bucks and talk circuit face time and promotion?

The corporate owned media includes many of those very same publishing houses.

[OneGrassRoot]

3. Gawd, I've been yelling that for years: We need to TAKE BACK THE WORDS

Edit to add: It may or may not have started from the top and filtered down (as did the "welfare queen"-type verbiage), but we can change it from the bottom up. We need to have a national conversation, as citizens about priorities and values.


I knew I had written those very words recently, but I write so much here, there and everywhere that I had to do a Google search. LOL.

I wrote those words in my recent blog post: Why Create the Compassion Revolution?

There have been two fairly recent events which have also directly inspired this Revolution.

The first was an incident in 2010 when Glenn Beck mentioned Wishadoo! on his Fox News show TV show. I discovered this when I received nasty emails, posts on Wishadoo!'s Facebook wall, and even a few phone calls, saying "they're watching me" and using words like socialist, communist, fascist, even a few good ol' throwbacks: liberal, heathen, tree-hugger, do-gooder.

Even though Mr. Beck didn't overtly disparage Wishadoo! (I'd say he was "snarky&quot , the website was discussed in the midst of discussing other organizations he obviously despised (evil unions!), with all of us having a place on his now infamous chalkboard. Seems Wishadoo!'s mission of "compassion" and "cooperation," with a dedication to "collaboration," "communities of mutual benefit" and focusing on "The Common Good"…well, that obviously indicated to him that I and Wishadoo! were trying to destroy America, if not the world.

That experience was nothing new for me, however. Throughout my life I've been dissed as being a "liberal do-gooder" (trust me, it was not intended as a compliment), among other things. The ability to empathize and put myself in the shoes of another was looked down upon as being "too sensitive." Again, not a compliment.

The second very recent trigger for this Revolution is a challenge issued from someone who shares Mr. Beck's worldview. I was told that my work to "advance a world of more genuine compassion, cooperation and community has no value." Indeed, to this person and many like him, the world is all about competition and greed, and there is nothing wrong with that. To them, the only thing that needs to change is for people like me to stop trying to change things.

He challenged me to see how many people I could get to stand with my beliefs and values.

That's when the COMPASSION REVOLUTION officially came into stark focus.

(By the way, thank you to Mr. Beck and Mr. Limbaugh and those who follow them and agree with their worldview. You have all shown me very clearly the type of world I do not want, and energize my work to create a different world Every. Single. Day.)

IT'S TIME TO TAKE BACK THE WORDS.

There is nothing weak about compassion or justice or a belief in Humanity.

There is strength in cooperation. There is strength in valuing human life over profit. There is strength in advancing respectful dialogue.

It's time to prioritize our values, stand up for our beliefs and put them into action to the best of our ability each day. It's called integrity.

The Compassion Revolution is one of strength and integrity.

FULL POST, with various links, HERE

[Scuba]

4. This. Thanks.

[niyad]

5. david is definitely a couple of books short of a library