50 Funny People on Twitter, Johaan Hari
50 Funny People You Should Be Following On Twitter
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Twitter may seem like a lot of work--yet another way you have to keep up with people's boring minutia and thoughts on Michael Jackson's doctor. But it doesn't have to be! If you pick the right folks to follow (comedians who are not only hilarious in real life but on Twitter too) the whole thing can be fun. They are in no particular order, so make sure to scroll all the way through (DO IT). Please let us know about other funny feeds we missed in the comments section!
No – I am talking about phrases that, while posing as neutral descriptions of the world, contain a hidden political agenda that then moulds the assumptions of the listener. An obvious recent example is the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques", a euphemism deliberately created by the American right to disinfect torture and make it sound reasonable. Language is often deliberately bent and misshapen for political reasons in this way. For example, in the 1980s, the proponents of the failed "War on Drugs" fought hard to turn the phrase "drug use" – plain, straightfoward, and unloaded – into "drug abuse." It evokes sinister images – it sounds like "child abuse" – but what does it mean? How is somebody who smokes cannabis to relax once a week "abusing" the drug? Do they beat up their spliffs? Johann Hari: Lies, damned lies... and the double-speak I would expunge
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Twitter may seem like a lot of work--yet another way you have to keep up with people's boring minutia and thoughts on Michael Jackson's doctor. But it doesn't have to be! If you pick the right folks to follow (comedians who are not only hilarious in real life but on Twitter too) the whole thing can be fun. They are in no particular order, so make sure to scroll all the way through (DO IT). Please let us know about other funny feeds we missed in the comments section!
No – I am talking about phrases that, while posing as neutral descriptions of the world, contain a hidden political agenda that then moulds the assumptions of the listener. An obvious recent example is the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques", a euphemism deliberately created by the American right to disinfect torture and make it sound reasonable. Language is often deliberately bent and misshapen for political reasons in this way. For example, in the 1980s, the proponents of the failed "War on Drugs" fought hard to turn the phrase "drug use" – plain, straightfoward, and unloaded – into "drug abuse." It evokes sinister images – it sounds like "child abuse" – but what does it mean? How is somebody who smokes cannabis to relax once a week "abusing" the drug? Do they beat up their spliffs? Johann Hari: Lies, damned lies... and the double-speak I would expunge
posted by temporal at 9/05/2009
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