• DharkStare@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      It’s appropriate since they believe that words are magic and as long as they say the right words, the “spell” will be cast and they will become immune to laws.

    • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
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      11 months ago

      That’s probably the most sane part about It.

      I think they are saying that those Words where chosen specifically because they can subconsciously affect the words users perceptions.

      Not magic nor a conspiracy but there is psychological truth that different words with identical meaning can effect us differently.

      • Dieterlan@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        No, they mean literal magic. I started reading the book, and they’re talking about “Dark Magicians” on the first page.

        • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
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          11 months ago

          For the simple minded its understandable how anyone with psychological knowledge could be confused with magicians.

          Just look at fortune tellers and the likes.

          Its a perversion of the truth that any sufficiently advanced enough science can only be interpreted as magic. For some, common knowledge seems sufficient enough.

          • fkn@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Sovcits are true believers in the magic. Anyone smart enough to do as you are suggesting is stealing from the true believers.

      • lad@programming.dev
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        11 months ago

        different words with identical meaning can effect us differently

        Other than puzzling us when a different word is not known because it stopped being used in that sense in the twelfth century?

        I am not sure that there are studies that found anything statistically significant. It’s like saying that there are ‘selling slogans’ when in fact no matter how selling you slogan is, no one will buy if the product is bullshit

        • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
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          11 months ago

          An example of what i mean:

          Crippled -> handicaped -> disabled -> person with disability.

          They all essentially mean exactly the same Thing. They all where the proper terminology at some point in time. But the emotional effect is different.

          Also some political examples:

          Global-warming and climate-change. Pro-life and anti-abortion

          I assume most people are smart enough not to let Terminology cloud judgement but we are talking about the kind of people who read and believe the stuff like in the book above.

      • AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I mean, anyone who’s ever taken Prof. George Lakoff’s classes at UC Berkeley is familiar with his famous “Don’t think of an elephant” lecture. He tells his students not to think about an elephant, then goes on to describe an elephant in agonizing detail, but under no circumstances are you permitted to picture that elephant in your mind.

        • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
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          11 months ago

          I cant even get trough your text without picturing the whole classroom including the elephants in everyones mind.

          I am not sure what the idea is but if i was given this assignment i conclude 3 possibilities.

          • the point is that its impossible so i can just give up and laugh at the spectacle.

          • i should grab for my headphones, close my eyes and focus my mind to some place far away

          • run out of the classroom and do something that requires concentration. Random conversation with someone.

          • AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Lakoff also wrote a book based on this lecture, titled “Don’t Think of an Elephant!” where he tells us that

            Frames are mental structures that shape the way we see the world. As a result, they shape the goals we seek, the plans we make, the way we act, and what counts as a good or bad outcome of our actions. In politics our frames shape our social policies and the institutions we form to carry out policies.

            Every word we have is defined relative to a conceptual frame, even trying to negate the frame activates the frame. So, if I tell you “Don’t think of an elephant” you will immediately think of an elephant!