Cults and Stuff

I just read an interesting article at https://aeon.co. It was titled, "How totalism works," and it was written by Alexandra Stein (June 20, 2017). The article talks about the writer's time in a political cult called The Organization (The O). The writer got involved in the Minneapolis-based group because the group said it worked for social justice; yet there appeared to be little that could be called social or justice in this group.

She talked about the leader being essentially a maniacal control freak. It did remind me of a documentary I saw on Jim Jones, the leader of the Peoples Temple. Both appeared as severely narcissistic and adept at using fear and threats to keep people in line.

The article is well written and does a great job of tying attachment theory in with cult members. Her personal experience may have given her insight one cannot get through academic study alone.

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"The Language Wars"

I just read an excellent article at JSTOR Daily. It was titled, "The Language Wars," and was written by Chi Luu. The article is dated 2.24.17.

It starts off with a great line: "This is a strange time for language." And, indeed, it is. The article centers around the rise of President Trump and delves into why now he was elected, rather than in the past (which the article argues that he probably wouldn't have been).

It also talks about the growing rift between the political left and right. "More than ever before it seems the left and the right are unable to communicate in the same language without rancor or misunderstanding. Both sides of the political spectrum hopelessly talk past each other, all while using exactly the same words. How can this be? Don't words just mean what they mean?"

What I found most interesting in the article is the delving into some of the specifics of President Trump's speech patterns. Linguist George Lakoff argues that Trump knows very well what he is doing in this realm because Trump has been a salesman all of his adult life.

Also the article has a number of good references for those interested in linguistics and social psychology.

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The Genesis of the End

Today is the day the former F.B.I. Director, James Comey, testifies before the Senate intelligence committee. I don't know a lot about the Internet, but I would guess Sir Tim Berners-Lee is praying that his invention does not implode because of the plethora of tweets that will be coming forth from President Trump. 

June 8th. It may be a day that will live in infamy.

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The Forest, the Trees, and Other Foliage

I was just reading over a book I read about one year ago. It's called, The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers, by Betsy Lerner. I have read quite a few writing books and this one is at the very top. Books by William Zinsser, Ralph Keyes, Dani Shapiro, Constance Hale, and Arthur Plotnik come to mind. There is much practical material and wisdom in these writers' books. But I find Lerner is able to speak to the group of writers out there who are drenched in doubt, who want to write but feel almost powerless to follow through on the desire, and those who obsess over writing (that is, they spend 90 percent of their time obsessing, and little time actually doing the deed of writing).

And the book is written so damn well, it is something to behold. Indeed, as the line goes, it "flows" so beautifully. To me, it seems like an MFA degree in writing, all within the compass of 300 pages.

I'm surprised the book is not talked about more. Who knows, even Mr. Hemingway might have liked it.

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