In Houston community proposition 209 has stirred up public debate and it should have because an important issue is voted on. No less important, however, the fact that wording of it has caused much of the uproar. The case has shown how public is fallible in face of language tricks. Joint polls conducted by University of Houston and Rice University has shown the vital importance of the vote wording: “shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to anyone on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin” is expected to produce yes with the majority of 70 percent, whereas “to end the use of affirmative action for women and minorities” is likely to generate no. The difference is striking, but more striking is susceptibility of public opinion to manipulation by the mere wording. Orwellian language can corrupt thought comes to mind, except that in the Houston voting, it is language that instills desired, readymade opinion in public that is too lazy to come to its own conclusions. Let us look at adjective affirmative that became so tightly attached to certain policies of government, particularly in the field of employment by federal contractors.
Third College Edition of Websters New World dictionary has, among other, the following definitions of adjective affirmative: 1. saying that something stated is true, 2. (b) optimistic or hopeful, not negative or cynical. In Orwells 1984, a novel describing life of a totalitarian state, no word used by the ruling party was ideologically neutral. Affirmative action would fit very well in 1984 because it has a connotation of popular support, no matter that the policy actually means a reverse discrimination. Affirmative action is something a commoner does not have to think about, but enjoy and support.
The Essay on Affirmative Action 37
A New Age of DiscriminationMany upcoming high school graduates have aspirations of continuing his or her education at a major university. In order to become accepted into a college of one's choice, he or she must dedicate time and efforts to obtain the grades required. People have been taught that through hard work and dedication comes the reward of a better future. Although this seems to be the ...
A far less appealing would be something like Reverse discrimination measures to overcome negative consequences of racial and sexist biases widely upheld in the society preventing women and minorities equal opportunities in employment. That would be more descriptive of the nature of affirmative action, but such wording bluntly expose common ugliness and hints on some downbeat perspective of payback that white male majority has to offer to rectify present situation. It certainly would scare off white male supporters of any politician. Therefore, affirmative action was brought into existence by John Kennedy, a brilliant politician and U.S. President. It is turn to consider whether there are some traces of duplicity and manipulation in the wording proposed by the opponents of affirmative action. It is interesting to note that they use almost the same words that can be found in 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Orwell calls this inflated language, or as would be more applicable in this situation, use of certain words that somehow associated with right cause and justice, no matter what they actually mean in each particular circumstances. Affirmative action might not mean only a reverse discrimination, or solely negative consequences for white mainstream, but a door of opportunities for minorities and women, people who have disadvantages on the existing market place, not because they lacking some qualities, but since they were denied a chance to develop necessary skills as a result of racial and sexist partialities that blocked they entrance to certain positions. Yet, affirmative action opponents wording do not reflect this aspect of the problem, instead they seek to provoke a desired reaction by using somewhat idealistic language of the 1964 Human Rights Act. George Orwell, in his works, shows the power that language has in public affairs. Houstons Proposition 209 clearly underlines the relevance of his works. People should become more educated about those little linguistic tricks that can make them see certain things in a way that someone wants..
The Term Paper on Affirmative Action In Florida
1 Recently Governor Jeb Bush has pushed for the passage of a plan he calls ONE FLORIDA, an executive order to abolish affirmative action in the state of Florida. Through the history of affirmative action in our country and its ensuing abolition, politicians and society at large are ever debating the merits of a racially based admissions, hiring, and contracting program. With anti-affirmative ...
