August 30, 2004

It's about making you afraid

George Lakoff, interviewed in the UCBerkeley News:

There are two reasons [why we should never use the phrase "war on terror"]. Let's start with "terror." Terror is a general state, and it's internal to a person. Terror is not the person we're fighting, the "terrorist." The word terror activates your fear, and fear activates the strict father model, which is what conservatives want. The "war on terror" is not about stopping you from being afraid, it's about making you afraid.
Posted by jackhodgson at August 30, 2004 08:23 PM