As a non-native speaker, this was double-interesting. I assume, however, that also anglophones might find this worth the playback time.
Word of Mouth: Cucks, snowflakes, and virtue signalling
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright interview the eminent US linguist George Lakoff about the new political words coming out of the US right now, mainly from the alt-right, and the effectiveness of Trump’s use of language. George Lakoff is the former Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley. His thesis is that people’s lives are significantly influenced by the central metaphors they use, whatever their political beliefs, and that how information is framed is crucial in how it is received.
(Broadcasted on May 2nd, don’t know if BBC Radio Four depublishes their podcasts. Better listen to it now.)
This seems like, “Duh”. Because in my lifetime, I’ve seen a fairly constant struggle by each side to claim (and reclaim) the phraseology of the other political spectrum. Especially in recent years.
ETA: They got the meaning of ‘snowflake’ wrong a bit. It’s a dig on the idea that Liberals believe everyone is unique and whose opinion matters, i.e. a “Special Snowflake”.
Did you listen to the discussion? Might seem duh to you, but explaining why the tweets of a certain president are so effective, and how this relates to NY sure was interesting.
