Corrupt Language Perverts Thought and Soon After Behaviour Follows

The author uses Orwell's Animal Farm as an example. I use the Newspeak of 1984, and suggest you read The Principles of Newspeak to see what we're both saying.

From Every Day For Life Canada

Is it possible to think without using words? Try it. We believe the answer is no. Most of what we think is based on language. How we and others use words to communicate and exchange ideas shapes our thinking and living. Words are important. Language matters.

We need to come some common agreement with the names we call things and what words generally mean to effectively communicate. This is why we make use of a good dictionary. However, in our post-modern time, it has often become impossible to clearly share ideas because much of the "progressive language" used is to deceive and distort meaning. Language is used to advance a political or other agenda. Communication then can easily breakdown, and this often creates conflict, bad feelings and disrupts the message we're trying to exchange.

The novel Animal Farm by George Orwell is actually a story about the tragic use and misuse of language. Much can be learned form it. The main part of the plot deals with animals rebelling against the owner of Manor Farm, Mr. Jones. The animals come to believe that they are being treated unfairly. The animals must work hard but man gets all the profits from the Farm. So, eventually the animals decide to get rid of Mr. Jones in order to improve their lot. They want to create a new society where all animals are treated justly. It's the attractive promise of every revolution. But we know what comes of this Utopian dream. The difference in the novel is that the rebellion comes from animals and the dictator enemy is human.

Soon after the revolution, the animals establish seven commandments (language) to run the farm. The animals now have total control. However, led by Napoleon the pigs soon begin to take leadership roles in operating the Farm. Even the name is changed from Manor Farm to Animal Farm. One of the ways the pigs begin to assert more power over the other animals is through the manipulation of language. For example, the pigs take the commandment "Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy" and quickly rationalize the need to trade with a neighbouring human farmer in order to get what they need. Napoleon manages to convince the animals through deception. He lies (language) to the rest of the animals.

The pig named Squealer becomes his propaganda officer. He has the gift of speech that "could turn black into white." He lies to the other animals by saying that the farm can't survive unless they get needed resources from humans. Originally the animals were not supposed to socialize with humans but that changes as Napoleon persuades them that the rule (language) is no longer necessary. The governing pigs in time manage to change all the commandments and this over time alters the thinking of the animals and their behaviour. The novel is a powerful, satirical indictment of totalitarian rule in the Soviet Union under Stalin. It's no wonder that several publishers refused to print the novel in 1945, just months before World War II ended.

To the commandment “No animals shall sleep in a bed” the words "with sheets" are added. Thus, the pigs can rationalize their use of human beds. The pigs manipulate language to verbally prove that a human bed is like an animal bed. They were against using sheets, which is a human invention. Eventually all the commandments (language) are corrupted by the ruling pigs. Napoleon changes the wording of the commandments to hold on to power and the rest of the animals after many years can no longer remember the original statements. The pigs slowly turn out to be just like Mr. Jones, but the animals are forced to accept the propaganda that things are so much "better" (language) now that animals run the farm. The irony is that in reality the animals are treated much worse than they were when Mr. Jones ran the farm. The pigs have know that by manipulate language and using force, they can control the other animals. This is the language lesson that needs to be taught to our children. The schools will not teach them this truth.

In this post, the main point we're trying to make is this: perverted language in turn corrupts thinking and eventually behaviour follows. This is exactly what the pigs do to get totalitarian control of the Farm and complete dominance over the other animals. The central commandment was that "All animals are equal," and this is corrupted to "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." The other animals have no way of checking the truth of the statement because the pigs have assumed control of the press.

One thing that has happened in recent decades is that students have been heavily indoctrinated by leftist ideology in colleges and universities. They have learned the script. It's all about me, sex, victim-hood, racism and the nanny state. The instructors have done a great job at teaching the communist narrative and their followers have now taken their learning to the streets of America through violence and destruction. "White privilege" needs to be annihilated. It's all about social justice and ending systemic racism. Western civilization must be destroyed. Burn the churches and topple the statue of saints. There should be no surprise that the young people are doing the bidding of Antifa and BLM. The revolution always begins with appealing rhetoric. 

We leave it to the readers to find example of this progressive, leftist language pollution. We can begin with abortion as a "reproductive heath right" and euthanasia called "end of life care." So, state intentional killing is either a "right," "health" care or both. Check out the latest "inclusive sexual language" found in the image attached to this past. It's all very confusing. The same is true with the radical sex-"education programs that have entered public schools. Children will be forced to learn the meaning of at least six genders, numerous sexual orientations and the re-definition of marriage and family. The indoctrination all beings with a corrupt language under the deception of tolerance, inclusion and equity. Whoever wins the definition game of these terms controls thought and behaviour. Language matters. Pervert language corrupts thought and soon after behaviour follows.

Psychologist Steven Pinker has rightly said about language, “Semantics is about the relation of words to thoughts, but it also about the relation of words to other human concerns. Semantics is about the relation of words to reality—the way that speakers commit themselves to a shared understanding of the truth, and the way their thoughts are anchored to things and situations in the world.” It's time to start policing how words are used and abused. And push for clarity of thought.

Animal Farm concludes with this frighting thought as the pigs are having a card game with other human beings. At one point in the game, "There were shouting, bangings on the table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously." And we too end with the final words of Orwell's prophetic novel, "Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again, and from man to pig again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." Language matters.