
How Language Hides Power: Orwell, Policing, and the Week’s Headlines
This week, we look at how language shapes power — from the words we use in our own routines to the phrases officials use to blur responsibility. We break down a single news clip to show how euphemisms sanitize state violence, how “plain speaking” can hide distortion, and why civic illiteracy makes people vulnerable to confident spin. Drawing on George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language, we trace how vague language becomes a tool for control, especially in conversations about policing, immigration, and federal authority. Clarity isn’t cosmetic; it’s a form of resistance.
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