Scorn and Imposition—How We Use Language, Consciously or Unconsciously, to Derail Reform

The language we use in thinking and talking about something often has real-world consequences. It marshals opinion, constructs images, contributes to a culture in which certain ideas and persons have high prestige and validity and others have less. The terms and images we use also reflect our attitudes and sense of things—they provide a mirror into our collective consciousness.