Vivan Waghela Week 10 - The Power of Language (article)
The Power of Language (article)
As I have learned from other's blogs last week, I will do the usual thing I do when I don't know what to write about: search up an article. This time, I found and article titled "The Power of Language." I skimmed through it and it seems very interesting.
So this article seems a lot like a phycology lecture about I. Yes, the word I. Very strange how I has its own power. According to the article, you naturally say phrases like "I have, I choose, I love, I enjoy, I can, I will" when you feel powerful. That doesn't make much sense right? Well, after a bit of thought, it does. Saying "I choose" implies you have the power to make a decision. Same with "I can and I will." Its very interesting how sentences that you use everyday show that you have power.
In the next section, the article talks about manipulating peers to do what you want. Interesting, am I right? According to the article, instead of asking someone "are you willing to help me?" you would say "omg bro i don't have time to do this" and then this makes the listener offer to do it for you. This happens almost everyday, and turns out this symbolizes power as well. Very interesting.
Another section talks about vagueness. It says that saying I will try gives you permission to not get it done. Another thing that symbolizes power. Now I will ask you guys: think about the many sentences you have said in your life. Which ones symbolize the power you have?
Article & Image: https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/the-power-of-language/
Ah yes the cliche “I don’t have time to do this.” Its so frustrating and being on the opposite of that side I realized just how much anger and sympathy that one line evokes. It corners you, the person who is asking for a commitment, so I crafted my ways to get around that line. However, I can’t share them because who knows, I might have to use it against you. I would say though, guilt tripping is by far the most persuasive approach when it comes to avoiding work and definitely highly recommended. Your blog also reminds me of corporate culture or rather what my mom has imparted to me on the subject: a maze of personal interests and ambition that you have to quietly navigate through while hiding your own motives and building trust with your “enemies.” Every other word spoken or unspoken can change your image in another’s mind—like a thriller almost.
ReplyDeleteHi Vivan,
ReplyDeleteI love how you're so blatantly honest in the simple, yet somewhat plagiaristic, process you use to come up with your blog ideas. Such honesty is hard to come across in AP classes, where every student is attempting to impress their teacher with their supposedly inherent academic aptitude.
To your argument, I agree with how the language one uses can make them feel and beget power. There is this concept of affirmations in psychology, where merely saying positive statements about oneself and their work can lead to a boost in their self-esteem and confidence.
Sincerely,
Krish
Hi Vivan,
ReplyDeleteIt makes total sense that "I" holds a lot of power. I think that the word is more a conveyer of the power that all of us are capable of holding. As you mentioned, "I" depicts the actions that one is taking through means of themselves, not anyone else. A powerful person must be able to take actions into THEIR own hands, and "I" is a perfect yet simple display of that can be shown.
Hi Vivan,
ReplyDeleteThe content in your third paragraph speaks of things that I try to avoid. I fear that by saying things that have people offer to help me, they will think me manipulative and lazy. While that is probably not true in the slightest, I can't help but realize everyone thinks the same things I do. Your analysis on the power of that linguistic usage mirrors my thoughts, leading me to believe that people are truly critical. Woe is me!
Sincerely,
Sean Wang
Hey Vivan, people these days seem to forget how powerful their words are, especially with the word "I." We use it so often that we don't see it as something of value, but as you mentioned in your blog, it shows how much power we hold. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Vivan,
ReplyDeleteThe word I definitely carries a lot of power in English. The example you used is very effective because it shifts the responsibility of the task from the person needing help to the person offering (if they do so). Let's say the person needing help is Bob and the person giving help is Joe. If Bob asked for help, Joe would feel coerced into doing the task and may feel resentment towards Bob for taking up his time. However, if Bob followed the example you gave and Joe offered his help voluntarily, he would not feel resentment towards Bob since Joe volunteered himself. If irritated at the loss of time, Joe might feel annoyed at himself for volunteering, but not towards Bob. Of course, this also runs the risk of Joe not volunteering, but every action has a trade-off. What do you think?
Sincerely,
Raymond Yu
Hi Vivan,
ReplyDeleteAlthough you never explicitly stated it, I think the power you are describing is passive aggression. And man are you right that its powerful. Passive aggression is so useful to urge people to help you do things as well as to make other people feel guilty. However, the issue is that it barely works on close friends as they can simply brush it off. As far as my testing has shown, the perfect counter to passive aggression is to just not care since it puts the aggressor in a situation where they cannot push their case.
Hi Vivan,
ReplyDeleteThe article you read sounds very similar to this children's book I once read had in elementary school. Well, not exactly very similar. Just the general idea. The book was about the power of the number zero. The number was sad because by itself it was nothing. But with other numbers, it has the power to make them greater (literally, like greater numbers). With the word "I" by itself, it means nothing other than one's self. But with other words, it has the power to express someone's own emotions or has the ability to get other people to do things for them.
Hey Vivan,
ReplyDeleteI have never considered that "I" could be such an empowering phrase, but now that I think about it I understand how it serves as that. "I" validates one's own identity and establishes what they are, what they do, what they want, and more. It creates an identity and affirmation which serves as a form of power. It reminds me of Kendrick's song "i" which emphasizes the importance of self love and empowerment. Thanks for sharing:)