My friends, I am here today in order to deliver unto you a key which will unlock the cage which surrounds your mind. The cage is invisible, you cannot feel it. In fact, you were born inside that cage and because it has been with you your whole life it is imperceptible to you. But, believe me the cage is real, and it constrains your ability to understand the world and what is happening in it.
A cage is a kind of filter, not a complete barrier. It will let some things pass, but only what can fit between the bars. The creator of your cage has control over what you can perceive by controlling the size of the gaps. What is this cage? What are the gaps? Language my friends. It is your language which entraps you.
The words that you know, the ideas and concepts those words allow are the bars of your cage. It is through language that we understand and make sense of the world. A man cannot see a thing until his mind has the word for what it is. Let me give you an example.
Have you ever seen an object in the distance, but were unable to tell what was? Your eyes may look upon it clearly but you cannot make it out. No matter how long you stare, it will never become clear until that moment when another person looks and says, “oh, that’s “whatever”. Suddenly, the scales fall away and you can see it plain as day. Nothing changed with your eyes, or the object. It was only the name of the thing that was lacking.
It’s a simple example but it illustrates the power of language over our connection to reality. This is why language is a tool of control. Your oppressors know this lesson all too well. If you are to free yourself from the cage that has been created around you, you must intentionally alter your language.
“How” you might ask, “are you suggesting we literally start speaking a different language?” Of course not. English is the common tongue in America and the hour is much too late to start Duolingo. It is the words that you use that must change. You must use words that reflect reality, not the make believe of the authoritarian. You must reject the language of your oppressor and substitute your own.
How do you do that? By identifying the words that in practice reflect the opposite of what our shared understanding of those words are. Another example. When the government talks about the masked men roaming our cities, what does the government and media call them? “Police Officers”, “Federal Agents”, “Law Enforcement.” We all know the ideas those words imply. Things like authority, integrity, justice, upholding the law, public safety. We all recognize that the men terrorizing our communities bear no resemblance to those ideals.
What are they really then? What words should we use? They are goons, hired hitmen, criminal kidnappers and brown shirts. They aren’t upholding the constitution, they are defiling it. When we change the way we describe those who do violence on behalf of our oppressor, we change the way we see them. Why should you use a word of respect for someone paid to hurt you? Why would you give deference to a lawless thug sent to abduct your family? You wouldn’t, and when you use the correct word for these men you begin to see them in a totally different way. I know this war will not be won by hurling insults. But if we want to free our country we must first free our mind.
So be. When you hear yourself repeating the same words your enemy uses, take notice. Think about whether the language you are using truly describes the situation at hand. And if it doesn’t, think of a new word. Then teach that word to your compatriots. Encourage them to do the same.
We are in the early days of this struggle my friends, and much harder times await. The intentional use of language is an early lesson we must learn, or we will forever be trapped in a world not of our making.