One of my pet peeves with the language Americans use to describe government is the use of the word "the." It isn't "the" government, it is our government. It's a small shift, but one with enormous consequneces. Whereas the word "the" suggests that government is an independent force that exists beyond our realm of understanding and control. the word "our" suggests precisely the reverse. More to the point, the word "our" much more accurately reflects reality. Our government is what we choose to make it, nothing more and nothing less. We seem to have forgotten that.
Ezra Klein, writing over at Tapped, notices a similar phenomenon with the language Americans use to describe taxes. Take a look:
Check out this graf from yesterday's New York Times article on the Massachusetts health reforms:
A poll released Wednesday by the Harvard School of Public Health, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation found that about two-thirds of Massachusetts residents surveyed supported the law, although two-thirds also think it will ultimately mean higher taxes.Can anyone justify the "although" in that sentence? It's like saying "A poll released Wednesday by the Harvard School of Public Health, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation found that about two-thirds of Massachusetts residents surveyed wanted new flat-screen TVs, although two-thirds also think it will ultimately mean paying money." Of course a new government program will require taxes....
Its amazing how much power the words we use have over the way we see the world. I don't want to sound overly deterministic about it, of course, but framing really does play an enormous role in how we see the world. Describe something the same way often enough and, even if the depiction isn't entirely accurate, eventually it will seem as if it is. It's happened with our view of government, just as it has happened with how we understand taxes.
As Ezra says, "taxes are just paying for things." You want more things? You pay more taxes. It really is that simple. And yet somehow, most of the nation - including the staff of the prestigious New York Times - have convinced themselves otherwise.
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