Sent to me by a WUSTL GEAD alum, Julia Widman, a GEAD Hall of Famer now, who now works for the Waterkeepers Alliance, fighting fossil fuel expansion along the Gulf Coast. The author of this article offers this great quote, which has everything to do with what we call "discursive formations.":
"Language is a tool of political manipulation — when you use and repeat your opponent’s language, you solidify their status and your own oppression.Consider this mumbo-jumbo that you hear when talking to water agencies: “When a water right is in priority, you perfect it by sweeping the river so that excess supplies are held in storage for consumptive use.”
What really happened? They dammed, drained and destroyed a river, which is a living, breathing life force — the veins of the planet — providing survival to a vast array of nonhuman creatures that have entire cultures and languages of their own.
If they steal your language, they steal your soul. Don’t let them."
