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George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

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Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#91

Post by ur-whale »

mrtksn wrote: post #17

>"Americans have trouble facing the truth," Carlin said. "So they invent a kind of a soft language to protect themselves from it" It is useful and not limited to Americans, that's why people do it. Much more people would have been vegans or they would be much more indifferent to violence if every pack of meat had a QR code to a video showing the life and processing of that particular animal. It's also not just soften…

> It is useful

Says you, and without a hint of rationale to justify a highly questionable claim.

Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#92

Post by bezier-curve »

imgabe wrote: post #79
mrtksn wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the observation that most modern people have no idea where the meat or the vegetables come from. The packaged goods did the consumers from the o Production. Activist are using videos of production lines to promote their agenda.

The fact that activists are doing something does not mean that it’s effective or anyone cares. People need food. If they don’t happen to know where it comes from they would figure it out with a quickness if it ever became necessary for them to learn.

People need food but they don't have to eat factory produced meat that requires huge amounts of CO2 footprint and antibiotics that make our own human populations less resistant to bacteria.

Biologically we are carnivores but factory farming is leaving evidence for modern society to determine whether or not it's okay and it definitely gives me pause. People care. I think maybe you're just not caring.

Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#93

Post by mrtksn »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #88
mrtksn wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, mostly. However the vegetarianism aspect is more nuanced IMHO. In my experience, seeing animal being killed is not enough, it needs to be combined with some kind of affection to the animal by giving it a personality. For example I feel uneasy since I watched cows showing curiosity towards objects and be playful like dogs. Also a friend of mine who used to live in a farm says that the cows can tell that they…

I'm not convinced the personality thing is sufficient, or maybe I don't quite understand what you mean by that. Cows used to have names, like horses or dogs did. In contrast, house cats usually didn't. Plus, the children used to play with the goats and sheep while they were still small. I'm not very familiar with the cows (my grandparents didn't have any), but I know that goats also tend to be fairly smart, curious a…

You are probably right, it's not that simple. Probably many things need to come together for a specific output but I still think that it affects how you think about it and maybe in some cases can make you a nihilist for example. Humans are complex.

Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#94

Post by ur-whale »

mbb70 wrote: post #24

One I recently heard was "conducting a rif" == "conducting a reduction in force" == "firing people". Soft language is alway to the benefit of the speaker, to assuage guilt or obfuscate intent. It's always to the detriment of the listener.

> It's always to the detriment of the listener.

Not always.

If the listener has a functioning brain, he can quickly infer the kind of weasel the speaker is simply for stooping down to using that type of language.

Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#95

Post by morganf »

jacquesm wrote: post #4
squarefoot wrote: post #2

George Carlin should be studied, translated and dubbed in every possible language.

The better stand-up comedians are hard to distinguish from philosophers. Carlin is right up there. It's a pity he's gone, we kind of need him right now.

I've long argued that Nietzsche is actually a comedian. Agree or not with his ideas, he is hysterically funny, in this smart and subtle way, a lot like George Carlin.

Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#96

Post by mrtksn »

bezier-curve wrote: post #92
imgabe wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that activists are doing something does not mean that it’s effective or anyone cares. People need food. If they don’t happen to know where it comes from they would figure it out with a quickness if it ever became necessary for them to learn.

People need food but they don't have to eat factory produced meat that requires huge amounts of CO2 footprint and antibiotics that make our own human populations less resistant to bacteria. Biologically we are carnivores but factory farming is leaving evidence for modern society to determine whether or not it's okay and it definitely gives me pause. People care. I think maybe you're just not caring.

>People need food but they don't have to eat factory produced meat that requires huge amounts of CO2 footprint and antibiotics that make our own human populations less resistant to bacteria. Biologically we are carnivores but factory farming is leaving evidence for modern society to determine whether or not it's okay and it definitely gives me pause. People care. I think maybe you're just not caring.

Why do you write this? I don't control the food policy of the world and I wasn't arguing that people should be vegans.

Why people provide unsolicited arguments for eating meat? Why just don't you order a burger instead so we can stay on topic? I don't care who eats what.

Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#99

Post by nextlevelwizard »

mrtksn wrote: post #17

>"Americans have trouble facing the truth," Carlin said. "So they invent a kind of a soft language to protect themselves from it" It is useful and not limited to Americans, that's why people do it. Much more people would have been vegans or they would be much more indifferent to violence if every pack of meat had a QR code to a video showing the life and processing of that particular animal. It's also not just soften…

Vegan argument is so silly as if meat industry just spun up overnight and only reason people consume delicious and nutritious animal products is because they can but them in sanitized packaging.

I hope you also aren’t buying consumer electronics because then you are literally putting animals ahead of humans.

Or is that too inconvenient for you and you actually like the cognitive dissonance after all

Re: George Carlin's "Soft Language" (2019)

#100

Post by donatj »

I saw a conversation on Twitter a while ago back when it still was Twitter. The OP with many followers was laying out words and classes of words with negative connotations that shouldn't be used.

Someone replied in good faith to OP and asked how we should express negative thoughts. OPs answer was basically that we shouldn't.

I find that kind of thought very off putting and minorly disturbing. An important part of the human experience is being able to express when someone else has screwed you over; to do so using flowery over the top hyperbole is the catharsis we need to live good lives.

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