“e a2 SP “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” AND HATE SPEECH The Word as Sword MEANING IS COMPLEX Neutrality is advantageous only if it can be exploited and extended into an effective means of persuasion. Language both creates a message, through devices like framing and presupposition, and uses that message, winning the uncommitted over by assuming the “normality” and “neu. trality” of the speaker's position, as transmitted through arguments that (because they rely on neutrality) need not even be overtly stated and therefore need not be exposed to the rigors of examination. This and the remaining chapters of this book explore several recent cases in which ‘anguage becomes a locus of struggle over self-definition and societal co- hesion. The battle is joined at all levels of language from word to sentence ‘onarrative. This chapter focuses on the use and definitions of the small ind concrete details of the linguistic message, words and phrases: who fetsto make up the words of our contemporary language and investthem with meaning. Later chapters will explore the creation and function of pecitie ‘we contemporary Americans construct out of these elements alec of how our conclusions about who gets to make up our ind give them meaning are based on, and contribute to, our cut Fer continual reevaluations of the roles we play. Meaning goes beyond semantic: me word connects it to an obj reference. True, the meaning ect or concept it refers to. If I say “desk”“POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” AND MATE SPEECH / 67 you, a8 2 speaker of English, you will orm in your mind a ofa articular sort of piece of furniture. If ind wil : I say “table,” your mind will pro- juce another image, with some similarities to and some differences from k.” In these cases reference is all we need to worry about: most of us n't attach positive or negative connotations to these words. But there many words that involve much more complex kinds of understand “These are the words that win (or lose) wars, the shooting kind and more subtle kind we fight with one another in the name of politics, ligion, and relationships. New words are created, old ones given new gs. Links between form and meaning are forged and strengthened en people use those words-in specific contexts, with specific nuances ‘connotations. Whoever gets to establish those connections first and ‘controls the meanings (in the larger sense) of these new words and pressions. And since words are at the forefront of our persuasive ef- ‘s, controlling meaning brings victory in the continuing war for hearts ‘minds by defining our cultural “values” and personal “identities"— mselves words currently in the front lines. When I was about fifteen, 1 read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. At the J was starting to learn Latin and reading Caesar's Gallic War. 1 d him a fascinating figure and set out to read what I could about Tread the play on my own, with no authority I could turn to for pretive guidance. Things were pretty clear until I got to the funeral ‘where Brutus offers the citizenry a justification for his assassina~ ‘of Caesar. “As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, sice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but, as he was ambitious, ew him,” he says. That is all the people need to hear: they express ‘hearty support. ‘was confused by the argument. Clearly Brutus meant to contrast ‘worthy qualities, for which Brutus admired him, with one bad to justify his murder. But where was that? The last clause in= by *but,” rhetorically and semantically ought 1 be the bearer ‘could find none. As an adolescent in 1950's Amer “ambition” only in a favorable sense: the get~ ‘can virtue. I couldn't imagine ing apple pie of ice cream! solved the mystery. The