(That's right Mahoney! I'm coming back, and I will be prepared for all of your devil's advocate ways.)
My guess is that I will be reading Ramage again, and much sooner than I would ever dream. It will be nice though, in a sense, because everyone else will be confused and it will make me laugh. Enough rambling (which I am assuming is ok to do because this is supposed to be about our take on the readings, right?)...on with The Language War!
One of the most fascinating parts of the book, for yours truly, was the section that began on page 23: Apologies As Language Politics. Lakoff tells us that when we apologize, in a sense we are doing it to show that we have done or said something wrong. We want to show the person or people we hurt that we acknowledge that it was wrong. However, it isn't that cut and dry. Essentially we are only apologizing to either shut the person up, or to make ourselves feel better. Have you ever apologized to someone and they listen to everything you have to say, nodding their head all the while, and you think they understand, but when it comes down to finally excepting your apology they won't?
ISN'T THAT INFURIATING?!
And it's even worse when you apologize and someone won't except it so you turn it on them like it was their fault in the beginning. A perfect example of that involved my f
riend Lauren and I. We were swimming in Narrowsburg, New York with our other friend, Joel, at a place called Skinner's Falls. We decided to get out of the water and change from our bathing suits into clothes so we wouldn't be walking around feeling damp and gross all day. While we were changing, Joel started to walk through the bushes that were guarding us. Lauren got really angry and picked up a huge rock. She proceeded to throw it in the direction the noise was coming from...
riend Lauren and I. We were swimming in Narrowsburg, New York with our other friend, Joel, at a place called Skinner's Falls. We decided to get out of the water and change from our bathing suits into clothes so we wouldn't be walking around feeling damp and gross all day. While we were changing, Joel started to walk through the bushes that were guarding us. Lauren got really angry and picked up a huge rock. She proceeded to throw it in the direction the noise was coming from...We heard a thud and saw Joel walking toward us with a dazed look on his face and blood pouring from his skull. Lauren apologize
d to him but I think he was just too shocked to answer (plus he had already lost a lot of blood) so Lauren got especially livid. She started yelling at him and saying he was the one that should be sorry because if he hadn't been trying to "sneak a peak at some naked boobies" the rock would've never been thrown. I was pretty amazed at her reasoning. Joel never apologized and he recieved 26 stitches in his head. He also told us that he was only coming for us because he had found some kind of "cool rock", he wasn't trying to sneak a peak. Lauren knew it was really her fault that Joel got a massive head wound, but she won't admit it to this day because he never accepted her apology.
d to him but I think he was just too shocked to answer (plus he had already lost a lot of blood) so Lauren got especially livid. She started yelling at him and saying he was the one that should be sorry because if he hadn't been trying to "sneak a peak at some naked boobies" the rock would've never been thrown. I was pretty amazed at her reasoning. Joel never apologized and he recieved 26 stitches in his head. He also told us that he was only coming for us because he had found some kind of "cool rock", he wasn't trying to sneak a peak. Lauren knew it was really her fault that Joel got a massive head wound, but she won't admit it to this day because he never accepted her apology.POLITICAL APOLOGIES ARE HILARIOUS TOO! A perfect example I found had to do with President Clinton apologizing for things he didn't even do only to avoid apologizing for the huge thing that he did do. "President Clinton appears to be perfectly happy to make explicit apologies for bad behavior by his predecessor (to African Americans for the Tuskegee syphilis experiments of the early twentieth century; to Hawiians for the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani at the end of th
e nineteenth), but he waffled and talked directly around a direct "apology" to his wife and the public at large in the Sixty Minutes interview of the Clintons in January 1992, in response to reports of his marital infidelites; and public dissatisfaction with his apology for an "inappropriate relationship" with Monica Lewinsky in 1998 almost led to his ignominious demise (30)." Way to take responsibility Bill instead of being ignorant. And to the rest of the politicians out there, why make an apology if you really don't mean it? Are we back in first grade again? It only makes you look worse if you recant on an apology later.
e nineteenth), but he waffled and talked directly around a direct "apology" to his wife and the public at large in the Sixty Minutes interview of the Clintons in January 1992, in response to reports of his marital infidelites; and public dissatisfaction with his apology for an "inappropriate relationship" with Monica Lewinsky in 1998 almost led to his ignominious demise (30)." Way to take responsibility Bill instead of being ignorant. And to the rest of the politicians out there, why make an apology if you really don't mean it? Are we back in first grade again? It only makes you look worse if you recant on an apology later.The last thing I found interesting that Lakoff pointed out was in chapter two. She brought atten
tion to something everyone in class probably already notices: the gender of words. For instance, she points out that the word man is attached to so many occupations. "Policeman, congressman, chairman as well as other more general terms (spokesman, freshman, layman). (45)" And did you ever notice how certain occupations are just naturally associated with a specific gender. Doctors, dentists, plumbers, and carpenters are usually seen as being men; whereas secretaries and nurses are seen as belonging to females.
tion to something everyone in class probably already notices: the gender of words. For instance, she points out that the word man is attached to so many occupations. "Policeman, congressman, chairman as well as other more general terms (spokesman, freshman, layman). (45)" And did you ever notice how certain occupations are just naturally associated with a specific gender. Doctors, dentists, plumbers, and carpenters are usually seen as being men; whereas secretaries and nurses are seen as belonging to females. WAKE UP AMERICA, SEXISM IS RIDICULOUS!!
"Women's work" just doesn't exist anymore, no matter how badly some people may want it to. 
Robin Lakoff's book has proved to be much more of an enjoyable read than I had originally anticipated. As soon as we finished with Ramage my blood ran cold as I thought of what the next book was going to be. But don't worry Professor Mahoney, you made a very wise choice with The Language War. GOOD JOB!
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