"Our government".
"Our troops".
"My president".
"My congressman".
"Our laws".
"Our police".
"Our schools".
If you say any of the above, you are a big part of the problem.
I'm not telling you to stop saying those things, but I would remind you that words have meanings, and sometimes the way you use words can warp the way you think about things to the point that reality becomes a problem for you. Stop and think before you parrot the popular phraseology.
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Agree totally! If I want to eschew collectivism, I must rid myself of collectivist thinking. "We" and its possessive cousins is the most dangerous words in the language.
ReplyDeleteNot a few of my anarchist friends rue the day I ever stumbled across Delmar England's Insanity as the Social Norm. In it England outlines why wars and conflict among us are not going to end soon -- collectivist thinking and escape from reality are the culprits. Sam
There is a time and place for "we". Some things are by unanimous consent.
DeleteWhen I hate the words like that is when they assume I share guilt with the speaker. "We"- I and a couple of specific friends- might hate cops, but if someone else who hates cops shoots one in the head, "we" didn't do it... unless we actually did. Which I wouldn't except to save an innocent life or, possibly, property.
"We" are not the government. "We" might be Browncoats or a stamp collector club. It's all a matter of voluntary association.
I cringe every time I hear a possessive pronoun.
ReplyDelete