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the power of words

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Started 1 year ago by buzzword
Latest reply from basinjam

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buzzword
Member

the power of words is remarkable. please provide links to speeches you value and provide an explanation as to why you value them. they may be video, audio or text based recordings. further contribute to the dialogue by discussing these speeches as well.

Posted 1 year ago #
buzzword
Member

martin luther king, i have a dream speech

this speech is important to me for a number of reasons. it represents a profound change in american cultural values. it is a declaration for a peaceful revolution. mlk's rhetoric is inspiring and represents the core values of the civil rights movement. it utilizes symbols of u.s. political history and religion. it makes perfect use of the surroundings and audience. it inspires rather than provokes. it is a clear declaration of goals yet makes use of some beautiful imagery, very balanced. the pace and patterns of his language is alive with a pulse. the speech is just awesome.

Posted 1 year ago #
Greatest Potential
Member

I value those speeches that do not neccessarily have to define an ideology nor press upon the masses any particular agenda. Speech without having to give a speech.

Posted 1 year ago #
bsomebody
Member

I have a book, Speeches that Changed the World: The Stories and Transcripts of the Moments That Changed History. My all time favorite would have to be the Sermon on the Mount, by Jesus of Nazareth around 24 CE. It is very simple to digest, but very difficult to live. "Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no' is a simple declaration of the strength of our word. These people had previously been held to account of their actions in context of following the Law. Jesus severely raised the bar, declaring that the motivation, what is in our heart is ultimately what we should focus upon. The importance of money or materialism to us: "No man can serve two masters." The difficult life is the life of reward, and the easy road is the road to destruction. The reciprocacity of our judgement; the desire for the meanest of 'needs' such as food and clothing; offer love where we receive hatred, these are all addressed. My favorite of all
whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man sues you in court and takes away your coat, give him your cloak also. Whoever forces you to walk a mile, go with him for two miles. Give to him that asks from you, and do not turn away him who seeks to borrow from you.

You have heard that it is said "Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy." But I say to you "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."

Like I said, very simple words, but difficult to uphold.

Posted 1 year ago #
Me Lika Do The Cha Cha
Member

This qualifies as an example of the Power of Words:

Gary's speech from
the South Park movie

Posted 1 year ago #
Captain Jack
Moderator

The power of words...

Words are very powerful, and yet people use them so carelessly.

Words can bring in new life and prosperity or kill and destroy.

Words are part of our commutation we use to share thoughts. Sometimes words are effective in getting the exact point across and some time not.

I have a love/hate relationship with words. I find words to be arcane in getting thoughts conveyed to others. I feel like I'm sending Morse code to people which I feel is missing the complete thought I want to get across. Morse code also takes a very long time to send if your sending letter by letter. (Amature Radio operators normally send abbreviations to speed up communications.)

Posted 1 year ago #
Greatest Potential
Member

Who owns words(?) No one to my knowledge
Are you certain of that(?) No, words had to come from somewhere though, right?
Where do words come from then(?) Perhaps words were scrawled into mud by dinosaurs
Hmmmm, you are a weird character. Ever concern yourself with property rights with this talk about copyright laws and such? Actually, now that you mention that, sorta
Sorta(?) You know, surcharge, what if there's some fee that nobody really knows about for every time someone utters a word, writes down a sentence on paper, taps out a note. Like how phone companies surprise customers with hidden fees and then they find out when they get their phone bill in the mail.
That would be rather dubious, wouldn't it(?)
How can we know if that's going on or not? Others here have said words are powerful.
to be continued(?)

Posted 1 year ago #
HotForWords
Key Master

Common Sense by Thomas Paine.. he was able to get a nation to change its way of thinking that had been ingrained in the minds of its people:

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/paine.htm

Posted 1 year ago #
pedanticKarl
Member

Hey buzzword, great topic starter. Now you got my attention.
The power of words are indeed powerful, and one of my interests has been NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and the area of linguistics, language, symbols, communication, and a slew of other words.

I have many speeches that I will contribute in the coming weeks. Marina's Thomas Paine contribution is a great one.

My first contribution is Anthony Robbins. Some of you may be rolling your eyes, as it seems that critique's of Tony is either very good or very bad, possibly due to the nature of his commercialized success. No matter what you think of him, he does drill down to the most basic common denominator in terms of language and how we feel about life and what words we chose to describe that life.

Here is Tony talking at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks. For the critics, this is not a commercial.

Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better

This interview would be invaluable for those who don't know who Tony is and it shows how he thinks and what he believes. Can we think and believe without words or language?
Charlie Rose - ANTHONY ROBBINS Interview

Live Life with Passion!!!

Posted 1 year ago #
Captain Jack
Moderator

M, After reading the first page of Common Sense by Thomas Paine, I felt like I need a cigarette. Thanks Marina! Was it good for you as it was for me?
Thomas is a deep thinker. I wish I could meet that man. Bounce thoughts back and forth. If I could only leap back into time....

Pk, I bought a set of Tony Robbins tapes for a friend of mine. He really changed his life. Now my friend has his own ship and plans to sail round the world.

I try to have as much passion as I can must up in my life. I live it as it were my last day for it is my last. I'm always grateful that I have been given another day. I just wish I can have someone pull off the leaches that are devouring my soul.

Posted 1 year ago #
Captain Jack
Moderator

Hey I just realized something in the TED video. Why wasn't it flag for foul language? Whats up with that? YT censors choose which video get blocked or not based on politics?

Posted 1 year ago #
pedanticKarl
Member

OK, I may get flak for this, but bear with me. I am presenting to you Dr. Laura Schlessinger who clearly knows the power of words. I realize that she is either hated or loved. There seems to be no in between, and I can understand that. I don't subscribe to everything she believes or says.

This thread is not about demonizing or uplifting her, but to demonstrate the power of words in the context of her daily radio show, books and lectures. I couldn't find any good examples to demonstrate how she excels, other than the video interview below.

Here is what I know about how she is involved in the power of words.
I believe she comes from the psychological paradigm that says:
1. Think (power of words),
2. Act (put words into action),
3. Feel (emote)

as opposed to "Feel-Act-Think", which many people are engaged in,
which causes problems of remorse, guilt, shame and so on.

An example of "Feel-Act-Think" method might be:
"I am lonely (Feel),
so I'll get married (Act), and now I regret it because
the other person never really loved me (Think).

In terms of words, Dr Laura has been associated with these ideas about words.
"Words have the power to hurt or heal" (This has been used against her)
"Words have the power to frame how you think about things"
"The clarity of words has the power to change minds" (the Aha! moment)

Specifically, she advocates knowing the clarity of ideas using words that make things clear such as your values, your beliefs in religion, job, hobbies and other important things in your life. It requires thinking and sometimes finding the right words brings clarity to the things that we are concerned with.

Since Marina just did a video on Wedding, this interview by CBS News of Dr Laura's book 'Care & Feeding Of Marriage' might be a good choice of an example of the power of words.

And here comes the clincher. At 4:24 min into the video, Dr Laura reveals that there is sometimes too much communication with words, and sometimes we need to shut up.

I got the hint.

Posted 1 year ago #
Greatest Potential
Member

ignore these words

People tend to give too much power to words

Posted 1 year ago #
jecjoker
Member

'http://bd1.battledawn.com/referx.php?serv=9&ref=376'

Posted 1 year ago #
jecjoker
Member

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Posted 1 year ago #
jecjoker
Member
Posted 1 year ago #
jecjoker
Member
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Posted 1 year ago #
bsomebody
Member

@pedantickarl: I feel especially strong about the idea that our words help to shape how we feel. We often use derogatory terms very casually, and we easily transfer our speech into the way we feel. We use sexual terms to insult someone - sex becomes a violent, oppressive weapon. We talk about our "bitches," and our opinion of women lessens. This also applies when we use euphamisms or other slang, without saying what we mean. If I discuss "locking up the loonies," I do not force myself to actually think about the idea of physically restraining a person who is mentally ill. I also try to use "people first" descriptors, such as "the boy who is blind" (v "the blind boy,") or "the woman who is Catholic" (v "the Catholic woman.")This helps me to remember that I am discussing a boy and a woman, not just blindness or religion.

Another idea that you touched upon: the power of putting thoughts into words. Many times, I have felt confident in understanding my own beliefs. For some reason or another, I have been called upon to express these beliefs to others. Once I begin to write the words, I realize my own beliefs are not as clear as I had imagined. Putting the thought into words forces me to evaluate my ideas and the path that I took to arrive at those ideas. This is not, ~~neccesarily necesarily~~ exactly an epiphany moment for me, but more of a lifting of the haze.

Great comments. Thanks for your input.

Posted 1 year ago #
pedanticKarl
Member

@bsomebody, thank you kindly for your comments and contributing an important distinction regarding the use of people first, and then using descriptors. It is often that I forget to use words in a way that elicits a positive response. I appreciate you pointing that out as there are many things that I need to remind myself of.

Posted 1 year ago #
bsomebody
Member

A passage I just read from one of my history books about the Gilded Age reminds me of the limitation of empty words. Chief Joseph gave his surrender speech in 1877 to Gen. Nelson A. Miles [quote]

Posted 1 year ago #
bsomebody
Member

A passage I just read from one of my history books about the Gilded Age reminds me of the limitation of empty words. Chief Joseph gave his surrender speech in 1877 to Gen. Nelson A. Miles
I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men... Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace and take care of themselves. I am tired of talk that comes to nothing.

Calhoun, Charles W., ed. The Gilded Age: Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, 2nd ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007.

Posted 1 year ago #
Captain Jack
Moderator

I think we will have a chance to see how powerful words can shape our country. President Obama will demonstrate the true power of the word in a way we have not seen in years. I have not seen great things yet from Obama but I belive he can shape our country into one of the greatest countries in the world. Obama knows who is boss and that is "We The People".

__/)___

I'm glad to have our country back into our control.

Posted 1 year ago #
buzzword
Member

the recantation of galileo. important to me for several reasons. galileo's recantation is just sad, he knows that the earth revolves around the sun. because of the authority of the catholic church, and the threat of torture and death he is forced to submission and abandons his principles. his declaration is a surrender to ignorance and superstition. science fails and the victory goes to dogma. his speech to me represents the brutal authority of the church and some of the damage it caused to western civilization. the speech represents the dangers of any authoritarian institution or leader upon the freedoms of the individual, scientific progress, and truth itself. this is an example of the defeat of human will and reason.

recantation of galileo

Posted 1 year ago #
Greatest Potential
Member

silence is golden
words can offer you nifty ways to express certain ideas that make up and compose into dialogue what you sense you are thinking. feelings and emotions which are complex are difficult to convey in words, those sensations are something else entirely. interpretations always vary. stories get passed down from one to another and the original story gets lost in translation. a blue bird suddenly becomes a hen and the story has changed again. did you go back to check the original? oh, just forget it. it doesn't matter. time to move on and find out what these people are up to today, maybe they can tell us about that event back in october.

Posted 1 year ago #
bsomebody
Member

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.
MLK

Words can only take us so far. These are incredibly powerful words. They offer a very simple Truth. I completely understand, and I wholeheartedly agree. I find that it is extremely difficult to actually do this. The spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak. Or maybe, the desire is strong, but the emotion stronger...

Posted 1 year ago #
Greatest Potential
Member

I don't know whether to laugh or cry

Posted 1 year ago #
Me Lika Do The Cha Cha
Member

New words are being coined:
.
OBAMAFICATION eponym; replaces the acronym "FUFU"
meaning - effed up and then effed up AGAIN!
.
CRAPPULUS: Spending bills passed off as stimulus.
.
RECESSION: Severe economic depression for the poor and middle class.
.
DEPRESSION: Worldwide economic collapse brought on by US Government interference in the free marketplace.

Posted 1 year ago #
Greatest Potential
Member

squeezethemwordstogetherrealtightnowsoyougetmoreheardforyourword

Posted 1 year ago #
bsomebody
Member

eschew obfuscation

Posted 1 year ago #
bsomebody
Member

President Obama appeared with Leno, the other night. He made an offhanded remark, concerning his (lack of) bowling ability, and placed his recent high score in the "Special Olympics" category. Even before the show ran on the air, the President had called the Special Olympics to apologize and to get some extra schmoozing with Special Olympic athletes. We all make mistakes, and I know that I have made some pretty bone-headed ones. As the President, I do call him to a higher standard. I am, however, very pleased that he admitted to his inadvertent pejorative and took measures to immediately help repair the hurt he had caused. Read about it here.

Posted 1 year ago #

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