1.The articles and quotes provided shed light on how language is employed to deceive, particularly through euphemisms. Euphemistic language is a subtle form of manipulation that disguises uncomfortable truths or harsh realities. It enables individuals, organizations, or governments to present actions, policies, or events in a more palatable and less confrontational manner.

In the context of “When Euphemism Disguises Truth,” the quote, “When things have gotten to the point where ‘torture’ is a forbidden term, euphemism is no longer a disguise for truth but an absolute enemy to it,” illustrates how euphemisms can become an enemy of truth. They can obscure the gravity of actions, making it difficult for the public to fully grasp the consequences.

In “Are Children Being Kept in Cages,” the quote, “Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform,” exemplifies how euphemistic language can be used in the political context to soften or disguise harsh policies. The phrase “children separated from their families” conceals the reality of children being placed in detention facilities resembling cages.

The implications of this deceptive use of language are profound. Euphemisms can lead to a lack of transparency and accountability, enabling those in power to avoid addressing uncomfortable issues directly. This obfuscation of truth can have dire consequences, as it can make it challenging for the public to fully comprehend the impact of certain actions or policies. Moreover, it can hinder the democratic process, as citizens make decisions based on incomplete or misleading information.

To guard against this deception, individuals must cultivate critical thinking and media literacy skills. We should question the language used in political discourse, media reporting, and everyday communication. Scrutinizing the intent behind the choice of words and seeking to uncover the underlying truths is vital. By holding those in power accountable for the language they use, we can demand clarity and transparency.

Euphemistic language is not inherently lying, but it can facilitate a form of dishonesty by intentionally misrepresenting or concealing facts. It often results in a distorted view of reality, as exemplified by the term “children separated from their families” in the context of immigration policies. This euphemism softens the truth of children being held in detention facilities that resemble cages.

In my own observations, I’ve seen euphemistic language used in corporate settings, where terms like “streamlining” are employed instead of “layoffs,” or “right-sizing” instead of “job cuts.” Euphemisms in this context aim to minimize the emotional impact of difficult decisions and downplay the consequences for employees. It’s essential to recognize and challenge these euphemisms to maintain transparency and hold organizations accountable for their actions.

2.  Language can be used in many ways such as to deceive, a lot of times especially on news your not going to hear the reality of what’s happening in the world, you may hear a bit of the truth but your not going to be hearing the full truth because Euphemisms. I say that because most of the time if not all the time they don’t describe the harsh reality because it’ll make some people “uncomfortable”.

Just like in the reading “Are Children Being Kept in Cages” it even mentions that they call the cages children are being held in “walls out of chain-link fences” so it doesn’t sound like the children are being treated like animals and so it doesn’t make others “uncomfortable”. In such ways like the examples it can be deceive because your not going to know the full story behind just because others don’t want you to and it could be misleading.

In my own opinion and knowledge I don’t know many ways we can guard from the deception besides doing extensive research on the topic and finding what you can from others who may be surrounding the area of topic.

Euphemistic language can be determined as lying just because of the power it can hold when not told truthfully or fully. If someone were to be selling something and listed everything about it but the one thing wrong with it and someone else were to purchase or see it then you basically lied to that person about your item just because you wanted to sell it. Euphemism is told when people want something to go their way or to “protect” others from becoming “uncomfortable” which in my opinion isn’t a good excuse, especially for bigger cases such as the news channels or person to person topics as you need to hear the full stories to understand what is happening.

Some places I’ve observed euphemism myself was probably going to places like dealerships or mechanics because being a woman in this society they feel that they can lie to mostly woman due to “lack of knowledge” which usually isn’t the case, when taking vehicles in or ready purchase so say they will use euphemism to get extra out of that transaction. 

Managers make numerous decisions on a daily basis. For some, the best choice is easy or straightforward to determine. If a machine breaks down, you either need to repair it or replace it. In an increasingly interconnected and complex world, however, the best decisions can often be unclear. Consider where you would stand on the following scenario:

A company has developed a new product for which there is a great demand. The consensus of the leadership team is that the company should capitalize on this opportunity and hike up the price to generate a 300% return on each sale. They feel that, as long as the marketplace is willing to pay for it, then there is no problem, especially since this would help solve recent discussions of layoffs due to declining sales. Only one person in the leadership team voices disapproval of this approach, saying that this is a greedy action that would rip off customers and go against the company’s values. The person feels that—despite what it would mean for the business—the product should be priced to generate a 40% return, which is an average return for the company’s products.

In this Discussion, you will examine a tough decision you have had to make in the past. You will reflect on the factors you used to make that decision and determine whether you would make the same choice if faced with the same set of circumstances again.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Identify a time you had to make a tough decision related to work. This should be a time when the right course of action was not immediately apparent or clear-cut. There may have been differing points of view, each with some validity, or perhaps there were some special circumstances in the situation that made the correct and ethical choice less obvious.
• Consider the values, guidelines, and rules that you used to make that decision.

BY DAY 3

Post a synthesis of a difficult work-related decision you had to make, including how you might approach the situation in the future. Specifically:

• Describe the circumstances surrounding the difficult work-related decision you had to make. In your description, include details about the options you were weighing, why the decision was difficult, et cetera.
• Explain the guidelines, rules, and values you used to make the decision.
• Using the Learning Resources for support, explain how you would approach the situation if it happened again. Would you handle it differently or take a similar action, and why? 

Refer to the Week 8 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

According to Webster’s, a euphemism is “the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.” Very often, we use euphemisms out of social nicety–to not offend or overstep in polite company. The famous writer George Orwell, warned of euphemism (Links to an external site.) used in a more dangerous way–as a tool for governments and the military to obscure truth and manipulate the masses:

In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible. Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face, and which do not square with the professed aims of the political parties. Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. Defenceless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification. Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the neck or sent to die of scurvy in Arctic lumber camps: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them. Consider for instance some comfortable English professor defending Russian totalitarianism. He cannot say outright, ‘I believe in killing off your opponents when you can get good results by doing so’. Probably, therefore, he will say something like this:

‘While freely conceding that the Soviet regime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think, agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigors which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement.

We have discussed the power of language at length–to communicate and to persuade–and now I want you to consider the role language plays in manipulating and distorting the truth (for political ends or otherwise).

Please read “Are Children Being Kept in Cages” Download “Are Children Being Kept in Cages”and “When Euphemism Disguises Truth,” Download “When Euphemism Disguises Truth,”

You should also watch my video “Euphemisms and Connotative Language,” found in this week’s module. 

Now, in a 250 word Initial Post, discuss the implications of these articles–How is language used to deceive? How can we guard against this deception? Is euphemistic language lying? Where have you seen euphemistic language in your own observations?

https://billmoyers.com/2014/12/21/george-orwell-foresight-torture/  : warned of euphemism (Links to an external site.)  

 Hide Assignment InformationInstructions

In lieu of class on Wednesday, submit THREE potential persuasive speech topics.  They should be specific statements of fact, value, or policy.

BAD: Abortion

BETTER: Abortion is wrong.

BEST: Because life begins at conception, abortion should be illegal.

BAD: Abortion

BETTER: Women should be able to get abortions.

BEST: No one should be able to force another person to sacrifice for someone else, so abortion should be legal and available.

• Choose one of the theories (social systems theory, relationship theory, distributive leadership theory, facilitating leadership theory, open system theory and transformational theory. Which best represents your leadership approach from the theories. 
• Referring to specific aspects of the leadership theory in the literature, explain how you implement this leadership theory in your professional context (or how you would implement this theory if you were in a leadership role).