On Language

by Betsy Toll

Long-steaming fissures in the American cultural landscape seemed to begin shaking apart under our feet right around the turn of the current century. Rumbling social and political earthquakes continue to jangle our nerves and rattle our communities. While numerous factors aggravate the splits and ruptures, the impact that language can have on even the smallest divide has become increasingly obvious.

Activists and academics across the spectrum are keenly tuned in to how culture can be influenced by the careful and adroit framing of issues.

Living Earth's first event, a presentation in 1998 by C. A. (Chet) Bowers, offered ample evidence of the manipulation of awareness that can be accomplished by the use of language.

An educator and cultural critic, Chet Bowers continues to make important contributions to the analysis and dialogue regarding urgent issues facing American society. We are posting Chet's March 2005 essay, "Some Thoughts on the Misuse of Language," [PDF file, 18k] as a contribution to this vitally important subject. It is yet another challenge to think deeply on how the urgent problems that threaten American society and, by extension, all life on the planet are being created and defined.

Chet has published 17 books addressing the cultural roots of ecological crisis. Mindful Conservatism: Rethinking the Ideological and Educational Basis of an Ecologically Sustainable Future, published in 2003, addressed the distortion and abuse of language. His most recently completed manuscript, "Revitalizing the Commons: Cultural and Educational Sites of Resistance and Affirmation," will be published in the near future. See www.c-a-bowers.com for further articles on Education, Eco-Justice, and Reclaiming the Commons.

We invite comments and observations from Living Earth members and readers on this topic, and will post as many as possible on this site. Send comments to circle@livingearthgatherings.org