James Hoggan’s book “Climate Cover-up” is a must-read, no matter what your interest or major may be. This book opened my eyes to another realm of public relations and life. The book is relevant because of the content pertaining to global warming and climate change.
The chapter that engaged me the most was Chapter 6, "Mangling the Language." George Orwell and spin doctor Frank Luntz were described in detail throughout this chapter. I like the way Hoggan used particular key people to demonstrate his points and support his logic. Orwell was an early student of the English language. He recognized some of the first signs of our language being corrupted: “Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes"(p.61). Nowadays, when people hear the term “Orwellian” or any reference to Orwell, they think of being misled.
It’s amazing how society’s perception of different messages and meanings of words can change over time. Luntz said that “the true definition of ‘being Orwellian,’ is to speak with ABSOLUTE clarity, to be succinct, to explain what the event is, to talk about what triggers something happening and to do so without any pejorative whatsoever” (pg.63). When I read this, the word "absolute" stood out to me. Absolute means without any doubt. For something to mean ABSOLUTE clarity and for it to be perceived as “misleading” baffles me.
Our society can be easily persuaded and manipulated to believe what politicians and other leaders want us to believe. They tailor messages and alter languages to successfully complete this task. Interestingly, Hoggan reveals that even though Luntz (let's keep in mind he’s a “spin” doctor) wishes the word “Orwellian” meant something different, the way he uses the language suggest the more widely accepted definition. And while Luntz says that he would prefer Orwellian to mean something else, the way he uses the language often invokes the darker and more widely accepted definition (Hoggan, p. 63).
If you haven’t already, take the time and read this book. I can assure you, you will not get bored and you will walk away informed.
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I read the book the Climate Cover-up and I would have to respectfully have to disagree with your opinion of this book. I felt that the book spent a lot of time doing name-dropping without stating actual facts about why the author was mentioning concepts or important people. The author to me, was never clear about the ideas he was trying to present, which the led the book to be confusing. Hoggan did a terrible job of explaining the problems which made me lose interest in what he was saying very quickly.
ReplyDeleteChelsea, I agree with your interpretation of George Orwell and Frank Luntz in Climate Cover-Up. I do believe Hoggan used these two individuals to reinforce his ideas of the deniers of climate change and the extent those deniers will go to just to manipulatate the truth before reaching the public. This goes to show that we must do our own research and be accountable for our own knowledge of the climate chanege conversation. It is clear that some persons in the forefront of these issues are not credible sources and should be challenged on their expertise of the issues.
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