by David L. Nevins When I think about the tactics of the Democrat and Republican parties, I am reminded of lyrics from the Buffalo Springfield song 50 years ago: “There’s something happening here “What it is ain’t exactly clear ... “Nobody’s ...
In a world where the line between fact reporting and opinion spouting is increasingly blurry and politicians put spin on everything, we want to help our readers better understand some of the rhetorical devices employed to get them to think one way or another. This will be the first in what we ...
by Nicholas Goldberg Americans know little history and what little they know they forget. That’s one reason we should be careful about throwing around historical allusions and parallels. Here are two cases in point: the words “fascist” and “un-American.” Both are bandied ...
by Faye Flam People no longer know what to do about the COVID pandemic. Part of the problem is the very language we use to talk about it. Words such as “breakthrough,” “booster” and even “sick” mean different things to different people — and to experts and the general ...
Most people are familiar with the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” The incendiary rhetoric that has engulfed our political system has demonstrated that especially violent words can cause hurt, even death, to others. The most recent example ...
by Kurt Bardella The question I get asked the most as someone who went from being a Republican to a Democrat is: “What’s the biggest difference between the two parties?” The answer: Every impulse Democrats have is defensive and every impulse Republicans have is offensive. A ...