NO MORE LINGUISTICS, PLEASE!!

I have to admit that I was a little bit annoyed to see the word "linguistics" so many times in the intro to this book. After having suffered through Intro to Linguistics last semester, I never really wanted to hear the word again in my life. However, I guess I must accept this as my fate as a sec ed english major. I was greatly releaved to find that Lakoff did not go into the text book definitions and wordy uncomprehendable babble that Dr. L. tried to make sense of in the class. Anyway, so far I like the book. Lakoff has some good and interesting points of view on politicians and linguists that she explains in a fairly easy to understand and readable way. I found the topic of political apologies to be really interesting. I am not a politics junky, so I do not spend a lot of time reading or watching political happenings, but the apology that's not really an apology does seem to be a very popular "tool" of politicians today. I like her point about it bringing the "big" people down to our leval, but it also makes them even bigger because the American public likes to see these apologies.
The beginning of chapter also comments on the power of language. Becuase we have seen this is various aspects throughout the course, this stands out to me. On page nineteen she comments that for so long America as a whole has taken the words of upper class white men to be the final say in anything. She goes on to question how language, which is really just hot air coming out of various mouths, has the power to create our "reality." It is just a really amazing concept to me. However, when we stop and think about it, it's true. Even without the political connection, we use language everyday to create and control our lives. What we say to people or what they say to us has the power to change our lives forever. Anyway, that's all I have for now....I need to rescue my daughter who is trying to climb through upside down chairs...Ahh two year olds!!