Language of Argument

In class the other day, we discussed how George W. Bush used language to portray Arabs as terrorists. I was thinking about how this concept is used in other situations. One of the main things that I came up with was the argument over abortion.

On the pro-life side, the name itself makes it hard to argue with them. Just as Bush named his war the "War on Terror", those who oppose abortion give their movement a name with which nobody can disagree. The language that they use makes anybody who argues with them seem, "pro-death" or "anti-life". Therefore, the language that they use makes themselves seem like the heroes and others seems like villains. This creates an us vs. them mentality. Pro-life activists also call the abortion "murder of a baby". The world baby connotes a sense of vulnerability and it is difficult for anybody to condone the murder of a child. Thus, activists use language to help their own cause.

Pro-choice activists use a similar strategy. It is hard for anyone to disagree with choice as a principle. They call abortion "abortion" which sounds very clinical and emotionless. They also call babies "fetuses" to decrease the emotional attachment that a person has about the procedure. Both sides of activists use language in an attempt to increase their popular support.