NYC Dept. of Education Wants to Ban 50 Words

Language is the single most important skill a human being ever develops, bar none. Without language there is nothing that can be called distinctly human. Without it, humans would be relegated to a life of reflex. Without it, humanity would not survive.

Given this, it is clear why one might be interested in destroying the power of mind that language imparts by destroying language itself in very specific ways that leave the individual incapable of higher level reasoning and perception while preserving lower functions. This is effectively accomplished through the alteration of the individual's language capabilities. We have all borne witness to this over the past 40 years and more, though many have most likely not been able to connect those dots as they are generally unaware of the prime role that language serves in enabling everything that builds our realities.

I would almost be willing to bet there exists not one in one million persons who understand that language is literally life for the human race and that without it there would be no humanity of which to

Edit:

Last night I pondered this notion of pure reflex as the only life available to us without language and realized that this is almost completely true, but not quite entirely so. On reflection I realized that there is in fact a rudimentary conceptual existence that would accompany the life of the reflexes. It is, however, a very low level of conceptualization that I suspect is hard-wired into us. I do not believe that it would serve as a standalone mechanism of ideation per se, but rather as perhaps a primitive means of filtration of sensory data.

For example, distance would be a hard-wired concept to help one assess potential threats based on how far away an object may be. If I am atop a large hill and spy a lion a mile away, my reaction may be significantly different than if the lion is 100 yards away. The concept of distance, therefore, aids in survival despite one being non-verbal. The concept of an obstacle similarly aids one by preventing Joe Caveman from running face first into a tree because the hard-wired understanding that two objects cannot occupy the same space lends an inborn understanding.
:mad:
Just the musings of a mad engineer.

Withou language ther would be no need for me to refute this post full of lies since the examples of hunan culture all around would each be worth a thousand of these imaginary words you speak of.:D
 
thread title:
NYC Dept. of Education Wants to Ban 50 Words

Article title:
War On Words: NYC Dept. Of Education Wants 50 ‘Forbidden’ Words Banned From Standardized Tests

Funny how omitting small details changes the meaning of the whole topic.
 
What would you say to somebody on another board who replied with this:

I love the sensationalism from the conservatives.

This is neither a repeal of verbiage in society nor curricula.

It is an attempt to make standardized tests a true reflection of knowledge, free from emotional cues.

Read some Wittgenstein.

I'm just wondering how they would test for knowledge of evolution when questions about evolution can't be used? Or how could they ask questions about history without talking about disease, nuclear weapons, politics, war, weapons, slavery, poverty, etc?
 
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Orwell was only off by 30 years.



"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.

Already, in the Eleventh Edition, we're not far from that point.

But the process will still be continuing long after you and I are dead. Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller. Even now, of course, there's no reason or excuse for committing thoughtcrime. It's merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control. But in the end there won't be any need even for that. The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect.

Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak,' he added with a sort of mystical satisfaction. 'Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?"
 
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