I was listening to NPR in the car earlier and they were discussing whether or not some of the info crucial to capturing Osama Bin Laden was obtained using "enhanced interrogation techniques."
Who wrote the memo telling everyone in the media that they had to use that term? Probably Frank Luntz I suppose. Is there some reason we can't just call things what they are? Jesse Ventura called waterboarding "torture." Considering he's actually had it done to him, I'm going to go ahead and take his word for it.
"Enhanced interrogation techniques" makes my mind conjure up some sort of peaceful breathing exercise. And I think that's the point. If the words we use trick our minds into thinking things are less serious than they are, then we won't take things as seriously.
The opposite is true as well. If we use words like "death panel" and "big abortion," then things seem a lot worse than they really are.
My grandmother always told me that when you speak as though you're stupid, then people will assume you're stupid. Words matter.
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Let's keep it civil people.