Its Prescription (ordained) Not Description (described)

[coberst]

Its Prescription (ordained) not Description (described)!

I think that one of the most egregious informal fallacies we Americans are bombarded with is prescriptions camouflaged as descriptions. The value of education lay in its monetary value, GDP is an accurate measure of a nation’s accomplishment, the environment is not an issue in the Corporate bottom line, well-being is the Corporate bottom line, the Corporation is responsible only to their share holders, health care in America is the best, CEO pay is meritocracy in action, etc. These are all understood as descriptions of reality rather than being the prescriptions of those who profit by such things.

I am claiming that we are led to accept as truism that it is “natural” for education to be valued in dollars, a GDP growth of 4% is a measure of the nation’s well-being, Corporations are not responsible for the environment, CEOs get the big bucks because they are what make the institution successful, etc. That which is ‘natural’ is accepted without question. In such a milieu we easily accept the hurricane as a description of why the poor have lost everything in New Orleans. An examination will, I think, disclose that the poor were doomed to such a happening by the ordination of the powerful over past decades.

Describing the status quo as natural and universal is an effective means for maintaining the status quo. I am claiming that the status quo is described as natural and universal, when in fact the status quo is ordained by the “Wizard”. “Follow the money” is a useful tactic for discovering those who are the elements of the “Wizard”.

[gmc]

Are you trying to make some point? In a liberal democracy like America how has it come to pass that the people accept such a state of affairs. Have you all been brainwashed in to accepting your fate?

[Slade1]

I don't think that coberst has been brainwashed, I think he's saying that people now believe what they are told. They take is natural that these things happen when in fact it is a falsehood that is created by the powers that be...

I think he's saying that anyway.

[coberst]

That which is ordained (prescribed) by the power group is described as natural, no one questions what is natural (who would question a hurrican?) therefore what the power group desires is taken to be natural and is unquestioned.

[koan]

What's more depressing is reading so many books describing this phenomenon that were written decades...or, hell, a century ago and nothing changes. Some of them make the best seller list yet the awareness seems to go out of fashion. Even Oprah's book club can't keep folks from collective amnesia. Language has been hijacked and words were the first victims of terrorism.

Wrap a pencil around your angst and try to rescue a few phrases from obscurity.