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When beautiful words conceal ugly political realities | Giannis Vlastaris | TEDxThessaloniki


Translation: Panagiota Prokopi Editor: Chryssa Takahashi
“In Athens, the hard Troika agreed with the Greek government
the signing of a Memorandum of heavy
including direct pension cuts
and introducing a remuneration cutter. “
Other news.
“In central hotel, technical echelons of Athens and Brussels group
They agreed to an honorable compromise
comprising the reframing of the locking system
and implementation
an automatic regulator increased financial guarantees. “
Wow!
For the same event,
different words,
which of course words did not fall from the sky,
They belong to a vocabulary
that to say the dual language vocabulary,
a phenomenon that comes beautify, for the words,
a situation,
the truth to the switch
and help us to integrate
in the way that he means the dominant reason.
First Orwell, in the 50s,
established the “New Speak”, the “neoglossa” double language.
And gave a theoretical dimension to the phenomenon.
Before him though, Thucydides was first made,
after the Peloponnesian War,
that the winners are not only changing events
but their description.
The “Athenian Alliance”, of course, were the achievements of ancient Athens.
To be an ally should give enough talents
and some triremes Flotilla.
The «Pax Romana», Pax Romana, the Roman imperialism.
Hitler, ‘workplaces’ camps.
“Final Solution”, the holocaust of the Jews.
“Revolution” was in April ’67, not a coup.
To get people’s passport traffic officers.
And reach, of course, by “collateral damage.”
The bombing of civilians.
And today in the official documentation of CIA,
torture called “severe interrogation methods”.
Well, after our Thucydides said,
our Orwell said,
everywhere is dual language.
It concerns all governments and inherent power.
Because as a journalist I dealt with the phenomenon now?
Again Orwell says that in cases where abuses of dual language
leads to the double thought.
As the words have meanings,
distorting the meanings of words,
create confusion in the mind which operates with concepts.
So the dual language reach the double thought.
Someone who controls the ground and can control our thinking.
And when the phenomenon occurs on a large scale and from multiple sources,
then a qualitative change occurs
analogous to that which occurs when a large amount of water
heated much and becomes steam.
In the same way,
words, changing meaning, being considered in another sense
and confusion in our criteria.
And there is the situation of ignorance,
which is a next step,
where a clouded mind leads to beliefs
He is asking himself to relieve
and literally collides with reality,
knowing somehow that did not apply what he believes,
but staying in them who believes he just feels better.
And not only talking about political behavior.
Let me explain a phenomenon in Bulk.
A man who practically proved to be crook.
Already absconded.
He appeared on television and aftogeloiopoiithike.
The many trillions prescribed there.
Yet after all this,
tens of hundreds of people still gathered,
swear on Jupiter,
and seek to erase their debts PPC.
In Greece, words such as public debt, spreads and other
there were before the crisis
and already dominate a thymic vocabulary.
I’m not talking about diversions – kalyteroteros and the other not.
I speak for a vocabulary which addressed
more to the heart than the mind.
more comforted thymic
and did not do much with rationalism.
So when we landed abnormal with the crisis,
We had to respond to the new reality.
Not yet know.
The automatic reflex of Greek
It was to deny the reality of bad oil.
And instead say “What?” He said “I want.”
Instead say, “Why did this happen? How transcend? “Said” Down with that. “
They resented that.
We became resentful.
And resentful demanded answers easy to difficult questions.
Let’s say:
“Expensive toll.” “I do not pay”.
“I owe the bank.” “The seisachtheia” Do come.
“Owes the state.”
“We will set off by the Germans who had possession.”
All easily.
Much of the political system incorporated in this strange jargon,
Requests the heart and not the mind.
The integrated and prevailed.
But becoming government had to face the reality
and could not change the reality of dealing movements.
So I had to change the words that describe the reality.
Say, cursed troika – good institutions.
Reducing pensions – reframing.
The galley of Amygdaleza – closed structure.
Illegal immigrants – irregular.
Handcuffs – plastic shackles.
Only a year and a half,
I gather some 350 entries of power
They are attempting to do just that.
Changing the meaning of words or bringing new words,
vothrokanala and rest, XIB, we have many such.
To present the new reality, and is the same, in other words.
Exactly why? Why had previously been implicated.
Solution;
I have no solution.
It’s easy to say it is a matter of education,
meaning that an educational system can change things.
I answer that to provide an educational system,
even the best, wants two generations.
And the problem of dual language is direct,
requires behavioral change.
And certainly a behavior
It can not be changed by decree.
He can decide a party, a faction decide
and suddenly make us us, as I say, suspicious movement.
Much more that this double language
It has been incorporated and why journalists.
easily say he was saying the cursed troika
now says the institutions or technical levels.
The same person.
And you know, as the phenomenon spreads,
then those who point to the risk for tongue
to change our mind,
and so to have in manipulating consciences,
So there is the risk of slippage ourselves
in ease.
Namely to respond to this form of demagogy
with another demagogy.
That danger and the antilaikismo,
the populism of antilaikiston.
I suggest,
each went to take a position toward things
becoming more suspicious,
I demand that the public orator
documented reason.
I do not live in the answers he gives me,
but anteroto.
I demand from the journalist not done
the conveyor belt of public discourse to me,
but to really represent carrying my own questions.
Rewards and reject,
depending on what they hear.
The same I am ready to change my mind
and not live on certainties that once thought.
I have always in my mind
the most correct statement did when Reagan was elected president.
She told him:
“Mr. President, how an actor you,
to become president of the United States? “
And Reagan says a journalist woman
“Ma’am, I return to the question,
you tell me how can a president not be an actor? “
So with all this in mind,
I think everyone can individually and in groups
to create a movement of suspicious people
that would require literally
will require documentation,
They will require honesty,
what we said before: “to call things by their name.”
Asking for words that correspond to reality and realism
not relieve the ears or our heart.
The dual language existed from the time of Thucydides
and there will be in all subsequent centuries.
The deleterious effect arising therefrom
It is a cigarette that will not stop the power to smoke.
We can put only by our suspect,
a filter in this cigarette
good and evil to be near an open window.
Thanks.
(Clap)
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