The Language of Politics

George W. Bush and his administration are in the practice of redefining words. “I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we’re really talking about peace.” If Bush can make war mean peace, then up could be the new down and death could be the new life. Bush has been busy during his presidency redefining freedom. His brand of freedom is catching, and I think a lot of us have forgotten what it used to be. This is dangerous, because our whole society is built on the concept of freedom. If we forget what freedom really is, we no longer can protect this country’s greatest asset.

Bush says that the terrorists hate us because we are free. Our freedoms frighten them, so they want to kill us. We in turn, fear the terrorists, so Bush suggests we fight them off with freedom. By invading countries that promote terror, and making them free, we will change the conditions that foster extremism, and it will no longer survive. Freedom threatens terror, and terror threatens freedom. The people we view as terrorists likely see themselves as freedom fighters. And we know they see what we call our freedom as a threat to their own freedom to live as they choose. America has a policy of spreading freedom around the world; terrorists have a policy of fighting off our interference in world affairs. It’s a big messy circle of logic, and it gets pretty redundant. The important idea is that the whole conflict is once again about freedom, and creating a fair balance between different people.

If Bush was actually interested in solving the problem, everyone might sit around and talk about it, and something might get figured out. But of course, we don’t negotiate with terrorists, and Bush isn’t interested in solving the problem. That’s because to him, the whole freedom thing is merely a ruse, a picture he shows to the world to say what he is doing is right, democracy is good, we should all have it. Really, he is doing exactly what the terrorists accuse him of: trying to take over the world. Democracy is good for business, and business is what he is interested in.

If Bush wants to sell us on a concept, he needs a good ad campaign. He uses slogans, logos, word of mouth, and the media to spread his message. Red, white and blue, always used to remind Americans of their patriotism, is the color scheme of Brand Freedom. It comes on bumper stickers with slogans like “these colors don’t run”. But the real mouthpiece of the campaign is his own. In speeches, radio addresses, any time he has a microphone, Bush speaks for his cause in language designed to sell.

Often when Bush speaks of freedom, he seems to be describing a precious object that we need to protect.

“We will take the fight to the enemy, and we’ll defend our freedom.”

“. . . we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.”

By describing freedom as an object that needs protection, it is almost presenting it as a helpless little baby that you and I and all Americans made together. Save our baby!

It is also interesting how in both of these quotes Bush uses defense as a forward action. In common usage, defense is usually something you do in the home front. He seems to be speaking about offense, which does involve initiating attacks.

In Brand Freedom, freedom is also a fierce warrior, engaging the enemy in far off lands.

“Everywhere that freedom takes hold, terror will retreat.”
“The terrorists are fighting freedom with all their cunning and cruelty because freedom is their greatest fear- and they should be afraid, because freedom is on the march.”

Freedom is scary- scary enough to frighten guys who blow themselves up. And when freedom is marching, I bet it wears a spiffy little uniform.

Finally, Bush presents freedom in manifest destiny form: freedom as the happy fate of the world. This is the one that tugs at the heartstrings.

“We are serving freedom’s cause- and that is the cause of all mankind.”

“Free nations are peaceful nations, and by advancing freedom’s cause, we are laying the foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren.”

“. . . and raised the lamp of liberty to every captive land.”

This grand rhetoric creates historically worthy presidential sound bites, for the public to process and embrace as our noble cause.

The American public has responded to this brand of freedom, and shows loyalty by buying t-shirts, caps, bumper stickers, tea cozies and flea collars, anything that has “freedom” with the stars and stripes. Although this kind of merchandise is less popular now as the war on terror is failing; people still believe in freedom. People really do want to protect freedom, bring it to others around the world, and create a legacy for our country of creating new liberty in the world, and making it a better place.

Sadly, Bush’s Brand Freedom is just empty words. His policies have done nothing to bring freedom anywhere; and through wire taps, unlawful imprisonment, and the Patriot Act, our own freedoms have been eroded. This only proves the strength of words. In the past six years Americans have willingly accepted less privacy and fewer rights, because that would help us protect freedom. Bush’s advertising convinced people to lose freedom to keep freedom; that’s a pretty neat trick.