No, it is not linguistic drift, it is the deliberate misuse and abuse of the language for political ends. Orwell was spot-on with his ideas regarding Newspeak under InSoc.
Read Edward Bernays' Propaganda, it's all there in a slim, tiny book.
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays
(It also really helps that for the most part, the American public is, in general, poorly educated and poorly informed. Many of my daughter's classmates bragged that they would never read another book after graduating.)
61
@lesserevil
No, it is not linguistic drift, it is the deliberate misuse and abuse of the language for political ends. Orwell was spot-on with his ideas regarding Newspeak under InSoc.
Read Edward Bernays' Propaganda, it's all there in a slim, tiny book.
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays
(It also really helps that for the most part, the American public is, in general, poorly educated and poorly informed. Many of my daughter's classmates bragged that they would never read another book after graduating.)