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cover of episode The Evolution of Opinions Online and "Statementese"

The Evolution of Opinions Online and "Statementese"

2023/10/31
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On the Media
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Brooke Gladstone
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Sam Adler-Bell
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Brooke Gladstone：本期节目讨论了在以色列巴勒斯坦冲突期间，个人、品牌和机构纷纷发表声明的现象。这些声明通常措辞谨慎，信息量有限，引发了人们对这种"声明式"表达方式的质疑。许多机构和个人都发表了声明，评论哈马斯袭击和随后的战争。一些机构，例如佛罗里达大学，发表声明谴责恐怖主义；而星巴克则起诉代表其员工的工会，原因是工会的亲巴勒斯坦声明激怒了顾客，损害了公司声誉。美国编剧协会因未发表声明而道歉。 Sam Adler-Bell：公共声明的语言变得无益，这种现象被称为"声明式"（statementese）。一些高校，例如威廉姆斯学院和斯坦福大学，因为发表声明的压力而选择不再发表声明。这种现象部分源于互联网的普及，使得人们更容易获得并要求机构发表声明，即使这些机构对事件本身并无直接关联。个人也开始模仿机构的声明风格，发表模棱两可的声明，仿佛他们也是一个需要品牌管理的品牌。人们发表声明的动机各不相同，有些人是为了满足社会期望，即使他们对事件了解不多。关于以色列和巴勒斯坦的辩论长期以来被限制在狭窄的范围内，人们感到无力改变现状，只能专注于声明的措辞。 Sam Adler-Bell："黑人的命也是命"运动促使了这种发表声明的冲动，因为当时人们对警察暴行普遍谴责。对声明的过度关注分散了人们对实际问题的注意力，用言语代替了行动。"黑人的命也是命"运动使许多年轻人参与政治，并学习了关于去殖民化、种族和民族主义等方面的语言，这影响了他们对以色列和巴勒斯坦问题的看法。与2014年加沙战争相比，此次战争中，更多年轻人表达了对巴勒斯坦的支持，这与"黑人的命也是命"运动中学习到的政治观点有关。人们将政治参与视为一种表达团结、见证和作证的方式，关注的是表达立场而不是实际政治结果。对声明的过度关注反映了一种无助感，并加剧了这种无助感，使人们丧失行动力。发表声明使人们感到政治行动已经结束，忽略了可以采取的实际行动。美国人在以色列和巴勒斯坦问题上保持无助的态度是不合理的，因为他们拥有更多改变现状的途径。

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The podcast discusses the phenomenon of 'statementese' where individuals, corporations, and institutions feel compelled to issue public statements on major events like the Israel-Hamas conflict, often using careful, vague language.

Shownotes Transcript

There's been no shortage of opinions across the globe as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on. But stateside, there's also been an abundance of statements: from individuals, brands, and even colleges and universities. That isn't uncommon in the social-media age, but do all those words actually tell us something? In this midweek podcast extra, Brooke sits down with Sam Adler-Bell), writer and co-host of the podcast “Know Your Enemy,” to talk about the phenomena of "statementese,") when we started expecting comments from institutions, and the potential downside of thinking that Instagram posts are all we can do.

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