‽istis reclaims naming and framing – rebuilding Babel (weekending March 14th 2020)
‽istis ponders the power of language to frame thoughts and words and deeds (will we act differently now the WHO has announced pandemic status? will fiscal expansion somehow be acceptable now that it has been proclaimed from the UK Chancellor rather than the opposition?[i]); to open up or close down understanding; to construct or demolish consensus; to include or exclude; to empower or oppress; to reveal our views and positions intentionally or as sub-text…
‽
perhaps refusing
to name a virus with a geographical location, with a cultural, occupational or
species reference (Spanish flu, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, equine
encephalitis, paralytic shellfish poisoning – all in the World Health Organisation’s
guidance on names to avoid)[ii]
can indeed ‘minimize unnecessary negative impact of disease names on trade,
travel, tourism or animal welfare, and avoid causing offence to any cultural,
social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups.’ …though we are perhaps beyond that now
‽
if we accept that
one person’s freedom fighter may be perceived very differently by others, then we
may possibly increase the chances of seeing things from another’s perspective. We
might even reduce the likelihood of seeing them as an ‘other’ and increase
the chances of finding common ground to create a shared peace, justice and
freedom?
‽
Pistis half
remembers an old British comedy sketch (Les Dawson?): maybe the trouble with
neighbours arguing - across a fence or wall - is that they are speaking from
completely different premises!
And
‽istis wonders, with sadness and with anger: if we had been left to finish
building that Babel Tower[iii],
if nothing that we could plan to do together would have been impossible, then what
other wondrous shared constructs could we have made – and, just perhaps,
possibly, maybe how different the world might be.
© Pistis
[i] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/12/rishi-sunak-budget-fiscal-policy-economy-power
‘The figures produced by Rishi Sunak in his first outing as chancellor might
have come from a Conservative attack document titled “Labour’s secret plans to
borrow hundreds of billions”.’ Giles Wilkes.
[ii] https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2015/naming-new-diseases/en/
and https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/163636/WHO_HSE_FOS_15.1_eng.pdf;jsessionid=F94B79E058ACC4F5D996C37803F17E29?sequence=1
[iii]
The Bible Genesis 11 v 1-9: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2011:1-9&version=NIV
