War?

Lakoff makes it very clear in the beginning that she is not forcing her opinion on anyone. After throwing around a few classifications of linguists, she explains (I think) that she does not have the power to make meaning for everyone. All of her observations are merely the meaning that she derives.

Lakoff mentions the use of language in the political sphere to create us and them atmosphere in America. Of course, that's not really a huge breakthrough in linguistics. What I found interesting is that she says there is a negative connotation to "liberal" but not "conservative."

Really? No negative connotation to conservative? So people don't think of old, rich, white men sailing around on yachts and cutting their own taxes? In all fairness, I don't know how old this book is, but conservatives definitely have a negative frame.

By the way, she focuses a great deal on frames just like the other Lakoff. In relation to frames, she talks about having to identify ideas of minority groups but not majority groups. Doesn't that just make things easier?

Think about it. If one black guy is standing in a group of white guys, he's easiest to identify as "the black guy." The same would work for a white guy in a group of black people. So yes, the ideas of minority groups will be identified as such.

So obviously, white males like myself are using language to keep everyone else down. Apparently, I've been oppressing people since before I was born. At least, I'm being asked to pay money, so fault must be mine.