Doublespeak

Doublespeak is a term that describes how people present options that end up in a NO OPTION SITUATION at all.

While a "dilemma" is a problem offering at least two solutions of which none are practically acceptable,  "doublespeak" on the other hand, justifies a situation by offering distorted meanings of a status.

This sort of doublespeak is found on a lot of ideologies. Sometimes, it even comes out as forms of euphemisms that results to ambiguity and communication bypass.

There are countless of examples. My favorites are:  "Informal Settlers" to mean squatters; "pre-owned" to mean second hand; "Gaming" to mean gambling;  "preventive maintenance" to mean busted.

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.  ETC.

Like Big Brother (pinoy big brother sucks, but I watch it nevertheless to find out the next ridiculous thing he and the housemates will do), I also frown upon doublespeak.

The original concept of a Big Brother is from George Orwell's novel - Nineteen Eighty-Four. Big Brother is the founder of a new  world order calling itself "The Party." He watches every inhabitant through the "telescreen".

To facilitate his totalitarian regime, he developed a new system of language called "Newspeak." It is a kind of language that makes opposition to the Party impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe the ideas of freedom, rebellion,  opposition and so on.

Newspeak is the only form of language that does not expand but instead, contracts. Big Brother punishes inhabitants of "thought-crime" whenever someone tries to distort the words to advance their "anti-Party" intent.

While I do not subscribe to the totalitarian ideologies of Big Brother, maybe like him, people should also be critical when presented with a doublespeak.

We want clarity in our options. If not, we will probably be spending the better parts of our lives living the dreams and ideas of others.