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Control the Words, Control the Culture | 5 Minute Video

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The culture war is first and foremost a war of words – and the left is winning. The consequences can be seen everywhere: in politics, in education, in media. In this video, Michael Knowles, host of the Michael Knowles Show, explains why we should not cede another syllable.
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Script:

What’s in a word?

Why does it matter whether we call someone who breaks the law to enter the country an “illegal alien” or an “undocumented immigrant”? What’s the difference between a Christmas tree and a “holiday tree”?

It’s just semantics, right?

Yes…and no.

It is just semantics, but “semantics” means “the meaning of words.” Words exist so that we might discriminate one thing from another. Without words, we have chaos. And it starts with the first words—a baby says “mama” to distinguish mommy from daddy. Words shape how we think; they color how we view the world.

No one understands this better than the left. They are the masters of words. Because they know that words matter.

The left has a special gift for euphemisms—soft words selected to sugarcoat harsh realities so as to make those harsh realities easier for us to swallow. But these soft words are insidious. Their sole purpose is to deceive.

Race discrimination in hiring and college admissions is refashioned as the much nicer-sounding “affirmative action.” Who would ever oppose an affirmative action?

Global warming, which can be measured and challenged, has morphed into “climate change,” which means essentially nothing because the climate is always changing.

When Barack Obama became president, George Bush’s war in Afghanistan suddenly transformed into the far less ominous and threatening “overseas contingency operation.” That’s one way to try to end a war: just rename it.

The examples are endless. There’s a new euphemism every week.

In the make-believe world of leftist language, young criminals have become “justice-involved youth.” Mandates and taxes are “individual shared responsibility payments.” Government spending becomes an “investment.” Wanting to keep more of your hard-earned money becomes “greed”; taking more of someone else’s money is them “paying their fair share.” Opposing a Democrat in the White House is “obstruction.” Opposing a Republican in the White House, “resistance”!

In the name of “diversity,” the left enforces intellectual conformity. It censors opposing views in the name of “tolerance.” And it labels all non-left views “hate speech.”

Consider the ongoing battle over pronouns—whether to call a man who thinks he’s a woman “he” or “she.” Very few people in the country suffer from gender confusion, and we should have compassion for those who do, but the left has invested countless funds, time, and energy to make everyone refer to some men as “she” and some women as ”he.”

Why? Is it because the left is so compassionate? Or, is it more likely because so much of the left’s cultural agenda is about blurring—even denying—the natural distinctions between men and women?

Sometimes it’s just an adjective that can change or even negate the entire meaning of the word it describes.

Take “social justice.”

Justice means getting what you deserve without favor. “Social justice” means getting what you don’t deserve because you are favored.

Here’s one we hear a lot these days: “my truth.” Truth is reality regardless of any individual’s feelings or perceptions. “My truth” is how I perceive things, regardless of how they really are.

For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/control-words-control-culture

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Tags cultureculture wardennis pragerGeorge OrwellLanguagemichael knowlespragerusocietyThe Daily WireThe Michael Knowles ShowWords
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46 Comments

  4. Christians invalidating gay marriage by citing the Bible is laughable at best and intellectually dishonest at worst, coming as it is from the same book that openly condones pedohilia, polygamy, and sex slavery.

  5. Who is delivering these non stop messages on every media platform and outlet? Who owns and manages everything we see and hear, from the news to all forms of entertainment?
    Who shapes our culture and programs our minds? Who controls the media controls the mind, and controls our culture. Who do you think controls the media? White Christians or white non Christians?
    Who specifically is behind all of these agendas? These media companies are run by real people. It's time we start naming names. The people behind all mainstream media, news, politics, schools, music, sports, movies, and internet social media are satanists. Who controls the media, controls the culture, and the minds of all people. Why are there no billionaire Christians owning, controlling, and managing all media and all entertainment outlets and programs?
    History reveals only one specific group of people who were always persecuted and expelled, over all other groups of people in every country from the beginning of time. All of these people in every country throughout history must have had some initial cause and reaction for being so angry at this one specific group of people. Use your critical thinking skills and ask yourself why were so many people so angry and upset at this specific group. Follow the money and power and media controlling group.
    Why does one percent of the population control 50 percent of everything and every system of money and influence and power?
    To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.

  9. Another term being perverted is democracy. It’s now referred to as “our democracy“ which puts it in a position instead of just existence. No one can claim that democracy is theirs or ours. It simply is.
    By claiming it and perverting the semantics of it we render it less meaningful. don’t get me started on antisemitism which has politely replaced Jew hater. More power to you Prager U, you are a guiding light in dark times.

  12. This guy is about 30 years too young to have such insulated, oblivious, hypocritical opinions. Unless, of course, he was indoctrinated as a tiny child to reject outside points of view, and is being well paid by a multimillionaire to create 'hip' content for his fake, online disinformation "university".

  20. Both sides are guilty for using Ivey Legue Think Tanks to figure out how to manipulate the masses to do or accept what the wealthy of that group wants. ALL of these droning arguments start in the office of these Think Tanks and the discussions are design to make you agree with what is best for the rich!
    Think I am wrong? Look at how well the rich are doing! They are winning! $$$$$$

  21. Man this video is pure gold. It is surprising how many people are fooled into supporting nonsense by using meaningless words. Hopefully, this politically correct crisis will end soon. It really needs to. Well done, Michael Knowles.

  34. 1:17 yes, but it's changing in a general upward curve much faster than before. The temperature also happens to be rising as emissions rise. Most scientists agree that this is more than just coincidence. Next time, do your own research instead of waiting for your sponsors at the fracking firm to make an alternative fact.

    By the way, the Democrats aren't left wing. They're near right. Centrist at a stretch.

  37. "look at gay marriage, let's not get into the politics".

    Yeah because the right lost that culture war big time. The right didn't give a shit about the word "marriage" since they also denied gay people from having "civil unions".

    "civil unions" was the ultimate compromise since it protected the word "marriage" but it was homophobia rooted in fundamentalist views of the Bible that made the right still argue against it. 🤦‍♂️.

  39. A baby also says momma to distinguish momma from mom, and also daddy to distinguish daddy from dad. Gay couples exist. Not exactly an intentional oversight, but something that shows how the right is still subconsciously homophobic

  41. When he was going through all the examples of terms the Left has changed that we take for granted in political conversation, it blew my mind. It is crazy how often we just buy into their rewording of our language without a second thought.

  43. The interesting thing about this entire video is I consume a lot of media from both sides of the aisle and 50% of the terms he claims leftist media uses in this video I’ve never heard in leftist media and if I have it was in a very small amount, it’s not like sweeping terms that are constantly overused like he makes it out to be. However, the first time I heard a lot of those terms were in right wing media describing what the left is saying, which you would think would be a risk because right wing people could just go and listen to left-wing media and figure out those those words don’t occur as much but they know that they won’t so they can just do that.

    This is why I always find it funny that right wing media tries to posture itself as being fact-based or the side that does research because it’s actions prove that it’s not and instead it’s just a lot of right wing listeners parroting and repeating what some right wing commentor said or research that comes from a very self indulgent source. I think of the two sides left wing is more aware that they are in echo chambers than the right wing is but the right wing suffers from it more.