Politics is a Language War

[@zoe_bee]

Stay informed on breaking news and practice critical thinking by subscribing through my link ground.news/zoebee to get 50% off unlimited access this month with the Vantage Subscription.

[@KQVTownTheme]

Isn't a single authority that tells the reader what's biased and what isn't as well as which sources are factual and which aren't antithetical to the idea of critical thinking?

[@WingedMilkMan-is5fd]

Please rename the channel Desmond Bee because he is the best part of this channel

[@Anna-Thea7173]

i really like the way you integrate your sponsor segment, it feels like when youtubers present the features of this news aggregating platform they also gloss over the actually important lessons that it wants to teach to us, but you manage to keep your segment informative and not glaze (over) like most youtubers do. you do a great job at it, and your examples are really well chosen, at least as far as i have seen you and other creators. idk but damn, they really need to pay you more! people like you actually analyse the thing they pretend to help you analyse!

[@saraa.4295]

Your cat is super cute...and incredibly loud ;)

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

​@@KQVTownThemeYou miss the point. Complaining that an information aggrigate has too many sides.

[@WingedMilkMan-is5fd]

Cat moments 6:09 The cat awakens 6:33 The cat attacks pillow 10:24 Jumpy cat 13:33 Hungry cat 13:42 Repression of jumpiness 14:14 Lord of the Rings 3: Return of the cat 14:25 Cuddly cat 14:35 Speedy cat 22:18 Cat criticizes CIA 22:46 Cat comeback 24:29 Dancing cat 32:25 Cat returns from nightclub(where he was dancing) 32:35 Cat and Zoe part ways temporarily 36:41 Cat 38:06 Cat rizzes up pillow 50:34 Magic cat 53:40 Hugging cat 1:08:16 ASMR cat

[@theflyingspaget]

Can't believe Dez was brave enough to speak the truth and tell us all about

[@heyilikethethingyoumade1399]

love the cat asmr

[@gogetyourgun1490]

Thank you so much!!! This is very helpful in looking for the important highlights of this hour long video.

[@3v1lp1ngv1n]

1:22 cat buries face in leg

[@youtubeviolatedme7123]

"You may be a bad apple, but you're one cool cat."

[@purplepotatoes9255]

Politics is a language war, and tuckers "daddy wants to spank you" left me in critical condition

[@rainbowlack]

Politics is a language war and schmucker's "daddy wants to spank you" is about 50 different violations of the geneva conventions

[@torntigre]

I have experienced 34 for years of life, and I can say, with complete confidence, that that is the most uncomfortable thing that I have ever experienced.

[@KaranBhatt-fu2gp]

@@torntigreif someone listens to it without context it sounds like Sugar Daddy is spanking his “daughter”

[@yawninghamster7238]

@@KaranBhatt-fu2gp Like deli meat, Tucker likes to keep things in bread.

[@Jrpyify]

I actually felt ill in the pit of my stomach listening to that. Which is a first for me.

[@TripleGia]

That part about language as an inherently imperfect tool reminded me of one of my linguistics classes. In order to communicate this, our professor, an older woman, told all of us to write down what she did as soon as she re-entered the room. She left, we got ready, and she re-entered. She walked into the room, went back to her lectern, and shuffled a few of the papers on it. She then told us to stop. Once we had our descriptions, we started sharing, and she wrote down what we said on the board. Nobody said the same thing twice. Some students highlighted the way she walked, some took note of what she was wearing, some got specific about the materials she had on the lectern, one student had just written down "she walked into the room." She told us that, in all her years of teaching, she's never gotten two sentences that were exactly alike out of that exercise. I think about that class a lot.

[@SimnaibnSind]

A picture is worth a thousand words and every frame a painting.

[@Cats_N_Doodles2018]

Makes me think of a saying about how in art classes a teacher could ask students to draw the same thing and get all different kinds of drawings!

[@KingOpenReview]

Aradia jumpscare.

[@boltlighting]

Ayyyyyy Aradia from Homestuck. Still in the fandom?

[@Holobrine]

That’s not about language per se, that’s about what people choose to comment on

[@cheesebatto]

zoe owes us all financial compensation for making us listen to that "daddy's home" speech

[@warmachine5835]

I was sitting in a recliner listening to the video and when that came on my eyes shot open and I repeated "what the fuck?" at least 4 times in different states of credulity.

[@rositasultana3958]

I cannot erase Jack Nicholson in Shining from my ears and mind, chasing the wife and breaking the bathroom door with the knife 😮

[@klovexthewolf]

@@warmachine5835i just did the same lol

[@symbioticmango]

i was gagged

[@ConflictingJumps]

how much comp, though?

[@snood4743]

Tucker Carlson using domestic abuse as a metaphor for Trump really sounds like he’s campaigning for Harris.

[@BL8DM8N]

Accidental ally 😍✨✨

[@SharienGaming]

yeah but trumps supporters are big fans of domestic abuse... wouldnt be surprised if a lot of them ARE abuser

[@NewtNotNoot]

I'm not one to kinkshame; however, that speech did feel an awful lot like *projection*

[@Notimportant253]

@@NewtNotNootit was so out there it sounded like some shit rockstar games would put in the gta in game talk radio or tv to poke fun and satirize American politics…… except it isn’t, its real life.

[@NotGonnaLickItself]

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ (̲C̲h̲e̲c̲k̲ ̲m̲y̲ ̲p̲r̲o̲f̲i̲l̲e̲)̲ b̲u̲t̲ ̲d̲i̲d̲ ̲y̲o̲u̲ ̲k̲n̲o̲w̲ ̲t̲h̲a̲t̲-̲ T̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲c̲o̲o̲l̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲l̲l̲ ̲ ♥

[@georgehornsby2075]

46:59 The irony of Tucker Carlsen saying he is done with indulging fantasies in the middle of some rambling fantasy about spanking teenage girls! I'm not sure I can handle those levels of self awareness...

[@ItWasSaucerShaped]

so many of these reactionaries have small dog syndrome, aware of their lack of both prowess and substance so they endlessly bark to compensate also many of them are just creepy, grabby old dudes

[@nothanks9503]

Bruh what the actual f***

[@TheSapphireLeo]

​@@nothanks9503Also your name...

[@nothanks9503]

@@TheSapphireLeo yeah I normally live to give witty rebukes but in this case I’m essentially speechless

[@Kiwiwibird]

Horrid cursed thumbnail. I love it.

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

I would bet money he says this at least once before nov.

[@MicaiahBaron]

​@@bazzfromthebackground3696Carlson already did, so...

[@theeducatedfool]

“All downhill from here” is an especially interesting metaphor since something being “uphill” doesn’t exactly have a positive connotation either since its generally used in the context of something being a struggle or taking a gradual amount of time to accomplish. I guess we just don’t like hills?

[@juliagoetia]

Can confirm, hills suck lol.

[@hughcaldwell1034]

I agree. F-ck hills.

[@petermmm42]

hannibal barca:

[@TheMadwomen]

There's also top of the hill... Maybe the goal is to stay on top?

[@Avatarfan10000]

Just my interpretation of both is that uphill says that the process to get to the goal is going to be slow and tedious. You will be tired by the end. where going down hill means were going to be going at break neck speeds and in order to not get hurt we can't focus on every detail. You really need to pay attention cause its going to be difficult to fully understand what is happening. Both are bad not necessarily because of the destination but because how difficult it is to get to the destination. Down hill is only seen as slightly worse because you have to do the work of going uphill while being tired from the climb up without the benefit of getting to see a beautiful view from above.

[@darkestlight660]

Sociology person, there's also sociological reason to dislike the melting pot idea in that- it isnt true about America, its a myth. The "salad" and "mosaic" aren't just different aesthetic metaphors, they mean different things and are more accurate than melting pot. Melting pot assumes that cultures evenly mix into each other, but in reality different cultures tend to prop up into ethnic enclaves, so "salad" where different cultures are mixed but not combined- is more accurate than melting pot.

[@CarrotConsumer]

Some have though. Where are the German enclaves? The Polish? The Irish? The cultures of Europe have melted together in America for the most part.

[@darkestlight660]

@@CarrotConsumer those cultures have not mixed in. they were forcibly assimilated, there is a difference. The majority of immigrants cluster and form their own conclaves. Whether you like it or not, America is- in large part- not a melting pot.

[@RickJaeger]

I like the metaphor of an American "Stew."

[@beansworth5694]

I agree that cultures do not evenly mix, we're certainly cooking up a very irregular broth especially with all the systemic preferential treatment given out on the basis of class and race, but to say that concepts and norms from one culture never interpenetrate even when in regular close proximity and that the melting pot analogy is completely and totally incorrect seems as though we're overcorrecting. I think it's still true to a point.

[@darkestlight660]

@@beansworth5694 i did not say the never mix at all, but the melting pot idea is not that "some cultures are completely erased as they are forcibly assimilated by the colonialist power they've found themselves apart of" it's a claim that all cultures mix to make a combination of different cultures - which isn't how it works.

[@bagel8284]

Very kind of Tucker Carlson to make that speech just in time for your video. What a thoughtful guy.

[@PhilBertran]

I'm 42, when I was in 5th grade I remember being taught that mosaic was a better description than melting pot. Always liked it better anyway.

[@Newton-Reuther]

Canada uses mosaic!

[@saraa.4295]

I like it better too. But melting pot is more accurate i think if we talk about it over a long time: none of the cultures that built America are recognizable as what they once were, they merged with all the others to sometjing new, just as things too in a pot. In a mosaic you could focus on each part and it eould still be the same.

[@Asiago9]

@@saraa.4295 I like the boiling pot metaphor better

[@saraa.4295]

@@Asiago9 you hungry? Just kidding..;) I kinda like it too.. Zoes points are valid but so many aspects are true: Many individual cultures creating something new Time is a factor Volume is a factor (if you have more of something it will influence the taste more It takes care to create something great.. But the weaknesses are also valid It is inheritably violent to cook people In a cooking pot some ingredients just don't fit or are even poisonous, which is not true for this allegory A stew is finished at a certain point (unless we're talking about a bowl of brown ;))

[@chaver1114]

@@saraa.4295 I wanna push back a tiny bit on the weaknesses you mention. It's inherently violent to cook people, true, but that's honestly a very strange application of the metaphor. Ingredients that are cooked into a soup or a stew or melting pot aren't 'destroyed' exactly, just transformed into a new collective thing. And obviously if those ingredients were people, that would be a terrifying 'Cronenberg'-ian monstrous amalgamation, but the ingredients in the metaphorical melting pot shouldn't be understood to be people, but cultures. And yes, the forced destruction of cultures is bad and inherently violent, but the gradual mixing and blending of cultures into a new culture that incorporates elements of both? That's beautiful! Or it would be if it weren't all underpinned by the violent commodification inherent to consumerist imperialist capitalism. And, furthermore, I DO think there are some ingredients that don't fit and are poisonous. White supremacy, christian theocracy, fascism, LGBTQ+-phobia, these are cultural ingredients that poison the pot. They are a rot we need to be careful to excise, not add in. And that doesn't mean people, it means ideas/cultural elements.

[@neetenshi]

“People don’t have idea allergies” Many people seem to be allergic to certain ideas by the way they react to them, to be honest.

[@starlydonati2008]

Agreed I think it’s actually a useful entailment to consider. Because that metaphor for bigotry (which is one idea allergy) is that sometimes exposure can set off symptoms that can be avoided by avoiding the idea, but sometimes they can go away on their own and other times it’s something one can be inoculated out of. Cities and other diverse places are great places to inoculate people against their idea allergies because of low level exposure to a diversity of thought and people.

[@saraa.4295]

And many ppl are able to turn ideas to shit ;)

[@NXTangl]

Aren't triggers (in the sense of "things which literally trigger mental episodes," at least) basically ideas that cause harm to some people and not others?

[@saraa.4295]

@@NXTangl Triggers are not generally "ideas".. Mainly it's a depiction of something, sounds, smells or other stimuli.. A veteran may be open to any idea related to war, but seeing an explosion in a movie may trigger ptsd..

[@TheHaighus]

Some ideas can do things like put someone off their food when another person is fine. I'd definitely say there are at least idea intolerances.

[@Narmi_narm]

Desmond making the video an asmr video essay 15 minutes in really adds to the experience

[@mirithilrose54]

I didn't think Tucker Carlson could give me the 'ick' even more than he already has. The whole thing just boils down to: "Women need to be punished." And knowing Tucker, he would also lump other minorities into this category who need to be put in the place where he thinks they belong. It just feels so gross. Anyway, thank you for the great video, Zoe. And lots of love to your wonderful orange-flavored kitty. 💖

[@notnotneutral15]

It's the implication that old white men know best. And if anyone defies them it must be *their* problem, and they need to be corrected. Tucker cannot concede that abusive old white men exist, any violence towards the lower echelons is seen as justified. Colonialism meets daddy dom fantasy that nobody wants except said daddy

[@Hexane88]

Specifically in this case, Tucker is infantilizing all female people. He isn't talking about spanking grown women, he's talking about spanking teenagers, who but for a brief time, are legally children. So basically... "Hit young girls so they don't get ideas"

[@Anna-Thea7173]

53:50 the cat purrs so loudly right here it's like a caramel alarm because she sensed you talking about a thing which upsets you 🥹 so cute, the contrast warms my heart

[@RaunienTheFirst]

Caramel alarm?

[@katrinsarascholz]

orange alert 1 the cat purrs back

[@Lia-zw1ls7tz7o]

0:30 In German, the word for "election campaign" is "Wahlkampf", which literally means "election fight". Although campaign itself comes from Latin campānia meaning "battlefield".

[@custos3249]

And in English, we have the word "campaign" meaning "A series of military operations undertaken to achieve a large-scale objective during a war" making this all banal and pointless. Edit: To those about to attempt a response, that's nice. Unless you have something above what can be expected of flat earthers reacting to someone talking about their time in Antarctica, your time is better spent elsewhere. You've clearly a lot of reading to do.

[@Newton-Reuther]

I mean, considering the history of German elections, it hasn't exactly been "peaceful."

[@idontneedachannelthanksyou7292]

@custos it’s not “banal and pointless”, it’s worth wondering why campaign means both. Are politics themselves war? They can be. Why are politics and war so connected that campaign means both?

[@NotGonnaLickItself]

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ (̲C̲h̲e̲c̲k̲ ̲m̲y̲ ̲p̲r̲o̲f̲i̲l̲e̲)̲ b̲u̲t̲ ̲d̲i̲d̲ ̲y̲o̲u̲ ̲k̲n̲o̲w̲ ̲t̲h̲a̲t̲-̲ T̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲c̲o̲o̲l̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲l̲l̲ ̲ ♥

[@melanieahrens6739]

@@custos3249It’s illustrative of the point being made. It’s actually the point.

[@IanIanaSpencer]

The hilarious irony of the "govt as parents" thing is that if a parent didn't feed their children they would go to jail Also I think Tucker Carlson is projecting either his daddy issues, or his sexual repression, but I have no clue which

[@TheHaighus]

Unfortunately those are not mutually exclusive and I hope it isn't both.

[@NA.NA..]

The thing is the right rejects the idea that the state is a parent of its citizens. Even in the tucker Carlson the Daddy be home is the Trump Voters, the state is the child

[@NA.NA..]

Except the American right does not see the State and citizens as a parent child relationship. Even the tucker Carlson video, the citizens are the parents and the state is the wayward child

[@Dachusblot]

Porque no los dos?

[@jatsko3113]

​@@NA.NA.. depends on who is in power. If they're out of power, it suddenly flips and they're now complaining about the nanny state

[@dedede5586]

WHY DID THE DADDYS HOME BIT GO ON FOR SO LONG. 💀

[@naomistarlight6178]

It's even funnier in the context of his life. He has verbally abused his wife on camera. Just chewing her out and calling her horrible things. She left. He is pissed that she was allowed to seek a divorce without his permission. He's desperate for patriarchy because he's desperate for victims who can't fight back or leave him legally.

[@emilyrln]

@@naomistarlight6178wait, so it's not just Stephen Crowder who did that on camera and had his wife leave him? I mean, I'm not surprised; I just wasn't aware that it had happened to both of those trash fires.

[@perhaps1094]

@@naomistarlight6178Steven Crowder was saying the same things when his wife divorced him, even some of his fans were calling him out, I cannot believe conservative commentators are publicly lamenting the fact their wives have rights and aren’t being completely lambasted.

[@mothmansuperfan7513]

I really appreciate this video. Talking to my parents is like talking a different political language and this is such a good framing. Also, that Tucker Carlson clip makes my blood run cold, metaphorically

[@cheshirevixen8881]

I used to despise learning about metaphors in school, it was always somehow either boring and obvious or incredibly confusing. This is the best exploration I've seen about language and metaphors.

[@Anna-Thea7173]

"people don't have idea allergies" i beg to differ, that tucker carlson clip made me actually physically sick

[@aguywithalotofopinions412]

No need to kinkshame

[@nevtheskid4579]

9:13 Yeah I mean when I tell nurses that I never experience a zero they tend to go "what?" Then I tell them that I also experience pain worse than anything they've likely experienced and learned to get out of bed and move regardless. The pain I experience on a bad day would cripple a normal person; hell, it used to cripple me, too. But now what's a 10 for most people is just "yeah, it does kinda hurt today."

[@94sHippie]

I hate the 0-10 pain scale as it is purely subjective and can change. you can always experience more pain than the worst pain you've ever experienced. It should only be one tool to gauge pain, coupled with question about ease of movement, general discomfort, how often they feel the pain, if you can still move and function is it with effort or ease?

[@allcaps7815]

the hospital pain scale is such a joke someone should meme it

[@SharienGaming]

quantifying pain is such nonsense to begin with... what does that tell the physician? the relevant information is where the pain is felt... what actions cause the pain or cause it to intensify... whether it is momentary or more or less constant... what kind of pain it is (like a thrumming pain is different than a piercing one or an ache or strain) those are things that actually help figure out a solution... quantified intensity is kinda useless...

[@astralecliptic]

Yeah. I always rate my pain 2-3 levels higher than it "feels" to me because it's the only way to get how debilitating (or not) my current pain is across to doctors - though having pain after surgery that was so excruciating that I literally could not force myself to move has become a helpful 10 marker. One time I told a specialist's PA that my pain was a 7 and she looked at me and said "That's really high!" and I just stared at her because I was so astonished - no duh it's high, why do you think I'm here?? I look fine because I have a life to live and (medical) bills to pay. Edit: To me, 7-8 is "I can go to work but sometimes the pain is so bad that it's the only thing my brain will allow me to focus on", while 9 is "literally the only thing my body will let me do is lay here and cry (but I can get up and pee if I really need to)", and the fact that "ability to function" isn't the standard way to measure pain is wild to me. I feel like that's really a much better way to gauge it (though I have a very high pain tolerance to begin with).

[@SeppelSquirrel]

One time, I was writhing and crying in a hospital bed and they asked me for my pain level from 0 to 10. I asked them in between pained breaths, "What number is writhing and crying in uncontrollable pain?" and to my barely conscious surprise, they didn't have an answer for me.

[@usbmassstoragedevice]

Your second and third sections are straight up English class gold! It's amazing how invisible common metaphors can become and you just laid so many out. Thanks for always delivering, Zoe 💖

[@onetimeoccam]

huge purring at 16:00 so adorable

[@oreoluwa_aaa]

I was not planning on watching this video entirely, as I have been very fatigued by all the information bombarding me from every corner of the globe. Still, I sat fully and watched this to the end because the ideas in this video were wonderfully explored. I will try to read more about this because even as I type this comment, I feel my thinking and my ideas on framing evolved and are better equipped for more productive conversations, regardless of the situation. This video was so well done, Zoe. I learn so much from you!

[@jc-wx5oo]

I feel exactly the same way! I have homework to do, and I’m super fatigued by politics lately, but I knew once I clicked I’d be watching till the end. Well worth my time!

[@FinntasticMrFox]

Your videos always maintain a safe and motivating learning space even within the context of scary realities. It's like sipping tea by the fire while watching a blizzard roaring away outside; a brief but comforting reprieve to warm up for all the digging that must be done to get out.

[@Daniel_leading_the_13_Plateans]

should have framed it as a metaphor smh

[@pedrostormrage]

Excellent video! One of things that frustrates me the most in political discourses is how some people try to leverage the general feeling about certain words (like "socialist", "Marxist" or "freedom") with a complete disregard for what those words actually mean (not only mislabeling people/ideas, but also perpetuating misinterpretations of those words). "Freedom of speech" is a classic example: people try to defend irresponsibility of speech (spreading misinformation and inciting violence) by referring to it as "freedom of speech" (leveraging the fact people feel positively about that word), completely disregarding the fact that unbound freedom is not a thing, not even for speech (that quote at 40:42 applies here, since we're definitely not looking at the same "freedom map"). Ultimately the discussion about what "map" to use boils down to ethical values, which is why it never ends (different people have different values). Thank you for talking about this, since it's a topic more people need to be aware of, so they're not manipulated by loaded language (which is why the kinda questioning at 1:02:07 is so important).

[@smrndalodz7182]

In the US, 'freedom of speech' is also a pretty weak defense. It just means 'it is not illegal to say this.' It doesn't imply that the thing being said isn't completely false and socially destructive. If anything, appealing to it just means that the thing being said can't be defended on substance.

[@Drawoon]

I like this map metaphor we're using to understand metaphors

[@gluehfunke1547]

„What even is time? I don‘t fuckin know.“ -Zoe Bee 2024

[@knuckles543]

''time is a weird soup''

[@PogieJoe]

I can only imagine how tricky it was to write this one with complete intentionality to all metaphors used! Great work as always

[@pjgoldstein6562]

46:43 I've heard this clip enough times now and only now have I finally understood that when Tucker says "and he's pissed," he doesn't mean that he's drunk.

[@chriss3404]

This is why I love Australia. Thank you.

[@hughcaldwell1034]

Damn it Zoe, you can't tell us about the trains and fireworks and then immediately say that it "goes deeper".

[@hive_indicator318]

Holy fuck, Zoe! Over an hour of me glued to my phone (see what I did there?) loving every bit of this. I decided to finally go to school for cognitive linguistics last week, and this was what I needed to remind me it's not just a whim. Been captivated by how much words shape us since reading Hayakawa 30 years ago. So thanks. I'm definitely going to curse you at some point in grad school, though

[@phoenixfire6433]

I’m about to go to bed but oh boy, do I have something to look forward to tomorrow. Thanks Zoe, big fan ❤. I found one of your videos on a whim when I was at the ripe age for falling down the alt-right pipeline, and I might well have if I hadn’t found the friendlier side of KZbin through your videos. Glad to return to where it all began

[@kahlilbt]

Great day to be a linguist and a Zoe fan.

[@PhotonBeast]

The cat staring unblinkingly into the middle distance when you say "What is time?" is a mood

[@wolframstahl1263]

"When I learned about these concepts, they blew my mind" I'm going through pretty much the same experience right now. I'm reading "Rationality" by Eliezer Yudkowsky at the moment (it's split up into 6 books, the first one is literally called Map & Territory). It's amazing how much I've learned about the way I and other think, and why, where and why we tend to make wrong turns in our cognition (and how often we actually don't think at all, but just follow a default route to a default conclusion). Highest recommendations!

[@wolframstahl1263]

If anyone is interested, it's free to read online or download (under a creative commons license, so no piracy, just freely shared knowledge). E.g. at readthesequences. (edit:) The full title is _Rationality - From AI to Zombies,_ but roughly 600 pages in there was no mention of zombies and not much focus on AI (surprisingly little focus on AI considering the author's background in AI safety research). That's why I omitted the full title above, I feel it gives a wrong impression of what the book is about - which is the only criticism I have about it.

[@Thrna_1]

I actually think the metaphor 'it's all downhill from here' really works in the sense that descending is much easier than ascending is like suddenly being permanently harmed or something decaying happens much more than being permanently benefited or something improving in vitality or function, basically entropy.

[@isidoreaerys8745]

That tucker Carlson clip was DEEPLY unsettling. And I am a man. I can’t imagine how much more bizarre and distasteful it would sound hearing it as a woman.

[@ThePigsmasher]

I heard a lot of women cheering for it but they're conservatives so they're probably too simple minded to be disturbed by that weirdo language

[@oregonsenior4204]

When I hear it (and I have unfortunately heard it multiple times now) I get a visceral reaction & involuntarily bark "F*** you, Tucker!" I have made my own decisions for 50+ years, Tucker's not my daddy, the Orange Menace is not my daddy, the entire damn Christian Nationalist structure is not my daddy - And that's all I need to say in this venue.

[@JaidenLG-v6d]

There is a really good novel called "Momo" about how money is used as a metaphor for time and how that effects people. It was a while since I read it but its about "The men in grey" who open up "Time banks" and encourage people to save their time and not waste it.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Chairman Momo from Clair Luvcats is truly a business genius if that's how he's making his money.

[@fruitygarlic3601]

You might like the film 'In Time', a similar idea but a really tense action movie.

[@ronomgenuff]

This is one of the most brilliant videos i have ever seen. I say down to watch a few minutes and was half way through before i even knew what was happening. Poetic, well grounded in research and scientific, topical and timeless. I'm going to try to get everyone I know to watch this.

[@lebaronmarcus]

A mosaic is used as a metaphor for immigration in Canada. There's a famous book from the 1960s called The Vertical Mosaic about how Canadian culture values both ethnic diversity and white supremacy

[@torntigre]

Mosaic is very "everything belongs in a certain place to look good" :\

[@beansworth5694]

@@torntigre Exactly! Thank you for saying that.

[@Mmoll1990]

Zoe: *has incredible insight into to the depth of human behavior and communication* Desmond (the cat): *behaves in a manner in which cats regularly behave* Also Zoe; 🧐🤯⁉️⁉️⁉️

[@CrystalLily1302]

it's called owning a cat

[@Mmoll1990]

@@CrystalLily1302 it's not the being in awe that I find curious; it's the incredulity.

[@robertsandlin366]

This is unimpressive amount of knowledge of European behavior. Why is nonsense world important when sensible world is created by doing mostly nothing??

[@Mmoll1990]

@@robertsandlin366 WTF are you even talking about???? 🧐

[@covertpetersen2573]

​@@Mmoll199099% sure that's a bot

[@shawnliu7461]

I’ve been watching KZbin since the beginning. This is one of the most valuable videos I’ve ever watched. Well done!

[@tylerhildebran3479]

I love that you can hear the cat purring through like, half of the opening. It's great

[@intellectually_lazy]

for years political debates have seemed like when they have press conferences in which two boxers talk trash at each other. i can't draw, but i was compelled to make my own political cartoons about it, which are now scattered through old notebooks if not in landfills

[@mahrinui18]

I grew up in NYC and I was shocked when I was like 10 and looked at a normal map of the city and not a subway map because of how much the subway map distorts things

[@intellectually_lazy]

i think that words actually are magic. words and symbols comprise a large proportion of our shared reality. it's so ubiquitous we fail to recognize it as such

[@juliagoetia]

Same

[@dr4track1]

Well I believe they only do if we have a shared understanding or perception of what those words actually mean. Words mean different things to different people because of the emotional context that is personal . Not everyone has the same emotional reaction to a word. Language is an attempt to create a shared perception of the world. An attempt to create objectivity for the subjective experience that is life. In order to come together and accomplish things. Everything starts with language. Without it we have nothing . No way to have a common perception of the world that each individual sees. But at the same time if we do not recognize that there is an inherent subjectivity within language and only focus on the objective and are never concerned with what words mean to others then there is a breakdown in communication. A couple need a shared perceptions of the world, so does a family in order to function . Only in so far as they are together. My perception only matters to my daughter now cuz she is at home and has to follow rules. And I need to understand how she is hearing what I am saying. Anyways long point and arthritic thumbs are hurting. Take care

[@robertsandlin366]

The ancient egyptians belived that their hieroglyphic language and words spoken had power in the world. Without language and no social interactions, people would all be irrationally alien to each other as their brains develop to communicate un-informed actions and thoughts, meaning humans would be fighting each other instead of helping each other.

[@EtherealNature]

Agreed. Like how magic manifests as a "spell" or a spoken "incantation."

[@dominictemple]

If you're interested in this idea, you should check out Alan Moore's writing.

[@rafeverao4105]

23:52 I like to think this is where the food metaphor of "ruminating on smth" comes in handy. In order for a ruminant animal to properly process and store the nutrients from their food, they must regurgitate and re-chew it, they can't just swallow it once and get use out of it. That food then ferments in the gut in order to be converted into something that animal can use - just as ideas in their early stages sometimes need to be left to ferment, until they age like fine wine or like milk (simile, but you get the idea).

[@mialikesoup5843]

the mic sometimes picks up the cat purring its so cute

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

I wonder if there might be "metaphor feedback", like people seeing wars more like elections possibly. People seeing travel like love, thinking about money like time.

[@Newton-Reuther]

Probably doesn't help that one of the presidential candidates promised to get rid of the Constitution.

[@Amir_404]

I suppose it could happen, but people almost always use metaphors about things that we have a strong and shared understanding of. If somebodies option of something is weak or unknown, then comparing to it is ineffective.

[@QandDRecordings]

14:18 As a cat dad, and someone who’s spent many an hour of my life rotoscoping, I just wanted to let you know that I both recognize and appreciate the efforts made for this little moment.

[@hippocalypse9152]

I've been using a garden metaphor for self for a little while now, and hearing what you said about ideas as plants was so validating. Thank you for nurturing and planting so many ideas! excited to check out the rest of your flowers.

[@hippocalypse9152]

Also that Prager U clip made me incredulously laugh for a good 10 seconds I want to say. That is genuinely just the most hilariously shameless way to frame the economy. Combined with the general Merican obsession with "self sufficiency" implicitly argues that any reparations' or attention paid to past and present economic sins is an infringement of the markets freedom! Oh... fuck... welp that contextualized a lot of shit, thank you for the... extra thought nutrients... Kinda feel like I shouldn't use the applicable term. It definitely has some rather heavy overlaying connotations in that sentence 😅😂

[@tangent_mechanic]

This is the best video essay I've seen in years. It's very thoughtful and honesty somewhat profoundly enlightening.

[@Weird0W]

This was incredible! Language and how it affects the way we relate to and engage with the world is something I'm always looking for better... language...around, this video definitely gave me some and taught me new things. Thank you!

[@zoe_bee]

I'm so glad you liked it! 💜

[@fleonez6610]

Huh the comment is 3minutes ago and the reply is 5 minutes ago

[@yuli81142]

Watching this on the day my home country is having its 7th Parliamentary election... in four years. I live in a nation that's been pretty much stuck in a permanent state of democratic warfare since 2020😂 Love your vids Zoe💖

[@octavianpedigree5866]

"All downhill from here" is an interesting metaphor because, like all language, it's meaning changes by context. Specifically, the "hill" in the metaphor changes. When talking about a challenging task, the "hill" is a lot more literal. A thing that takes more effort at first but gets vastly easier after the hardest part. I.e. literal hills, the bane of all cyclists. When talking about achievements, the "hill" takes on the more "up is good, down is bad" meaning. On top of the hill everything else is lower, and as such worse. Also, melting pot isn't nessicarily destructive, its transformative. Melting pots are a forging tool. To make any alloy you have to put different metals in a melting pot. Tin and copper make bronze. You could aplly the same destructive argument to mosaics too. To fit a piece into a mosaic, you typically have to shape or break it to fit the space. Or you seperate different pieces based on their color. Ultimately, there's probably no good metaphor for complex human interactions.

[@Jack-vq9we]

"ultimately, there's no good metaphor for complex human interactions" tl:dr right there 😂 It's what the whole video's about! It's funny also that in talking about metaphors we use metaphors

[@voidify3]

Not load-bearing but a stupid little um actually : you mean bronze not brass

[@andrewphilos]

Regarding up/down mapping to good/bad, its funny when you try to map these to golf and limbo dancing. "Raising the bar" makes pole vaulting more difficult, but limbo dancing more easy. Getting a "high score" is good for most games, but it's "above par" in golf. Don't even get me started on the DEFCON system! 😂

[@NXTangl]

But a "sub-par" day is bad...

[@connordarvall8482]

Par is the THAC0 of sports.

[@AdwinLauYuTan]

I am disturbingly both repulsed and intrigued by Trump being called 'daddy'. Very odd.

[@intellectually_lazy]

chubbing up, eh?

[@greasy8394]

I mean he is Lucifer. He's a white dude with blond hair and blue eyes whose seen as a God and even "survived" a shooting. MAGA is literally the highest degree in the Church of Satan. Also Trump and Lucifer are 74 in Gematria and Trump is simulated to become the 47th Masonic puppet I mean President so yeah is "daddy". Masons do see Lucifer as their father.

[@emilyrln]

@@intellectually_lazy why did I read the replies? 💀

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@emilyrln i'm guessing because you like it like this

[@emilyrln]

@@intellectually_lazy you may be right, considering that I came back to see what comment of mine you replied to and defiled my eyeballs again. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. Like, even more than it already was, which doesn't seem possible 😅💀

[@Arkin7]

I always learn a lot from your videos. Especially the repeated lesson that I am definitely not as patient in person as you seem to be in video😅. Still aiming to try though as I am definitely repeatedly butting my head against the “facts don’t win arguments” wall. Will check out the books and referenced videos.

[@nymphrodellsalavin]

I like tapestry as a metaphor for a society better than mosaic. The first big difference is a mosaic is made up of little stones and stones are hard discrete objects. A mosaic is not warm, but it is beautiful. I prefer tapestry as a metaphor. It's made up of many strings woven together to create annimage that is simultaneously soft and flexible but also strong. You can't cuddle up underneath a mosaic and feel comfy, but a tapistry of threads hanging on a wall makes the room warmer. Another reason I thibk a tapestry is a better metaphor over a mosaic is how a tapestry is created. A mosaic is made up of many discreet pieces. They give a hundred percent of themselves to the image but do not truly integrate with the other pieces. They are separate, even segregated. A tapestry, by contrast, is made up of strings weaving between each other. Not all of a string is visible in a tapestry but the parts that are visible are what makes up the image and what's not visible holds the image together. There is intermingling between the different colors. Different threads, but ultimately, they are all one thing.

[@freddy1940]

I like the tapestry more as well. For a mosaic, you can cut off the edge pieces you dont like and still have a functional mosaic. However, for a tapestry you need all the threads in order for it to work as intended. You can't just trim the edge without needing repair. Tapestry threads can also be made of a variety of materials. For the mosaic, each piece is one material, or sometimes even painted material. The visual is also the most important part. For a tapestry, the color and material of the thread is important. Threads can also be made of material blends as well, leading to different qualities for the fabric. The color of the tile/person isn't the only thing that matters. To build on what you said about intermingling, let's say we consider each thread/tile a person. In a mosaic, that person is just one dot on the mosaic. If someone is a mother, they occupy the mother section of the mosaic. However, in a tapestry, the thread can emerge at different parts of the tapestry. Their motherhood can emerge in one part of the tapestry, but the person's social class or job can emerge in another part of the tapestry. They are not just localized to one part of the artwork.

[@ummmmmmmmmmmnmmmm]

It's interesting that you say we revisit and revise ideas but we don't do the same with food however, we did come up with the metaphor of "ruminating" on a thought which is a food metaphor we borrowed from cows and how they revisit and revise their food.

[@xxblackkzoruaxx5971]

You would have been my favorite teacher in school, maybe I would have even enjoyed learning this much as a child too

[@milabearr]

I loved this video! Because I love your work I feel guilty wishing that there was a shorter version I could share with people who have different “maps” than. I struggle with communicating complex or abstract topics and it would be so helpful to finally be able to share why I care so much about the words they use and why they’re hurtful when they use them. Anyway thank you for the insight and for putting together all these ideas and studies!

[@abyssal_beans]

Ngl it would be hilarious if an artist created several copies of a reversible image, put them in several galleries, and labeled the art as [interpretation A] in half of the galleries and [interpretation B] in the other half, and made it as unclear as possible that they were doing this

[@mariekeknol1]

This has been one of the most important and valuable video's I ever watched. I immediately recognized what you said in the end: this is the thread that ropes all of your work together. It is also why I follow this channel and watch every video, often twice. I certainly don't agree with you on everything, and I think your self-effacing, apologetic, doubtful attitude can be a bit frustrating coming from someone who is so clearly doing so much thoughtful and excellent work. STILL! Sharing this same underlying goal with you for years now, being made all the more salient of it because of this video, and now having more language options in my toolbox for elucidating this message to myself and others... Zoe, this is so incredibly valuable. I know language will fall short here, as it often does, but beneath the mapping, I am honestly feeling a lot of gratitude right now. Thank you.

[@karabomabote4801]

You unpacked SO many concepts so very well as per.

[@subtlegong2817]

Deep philosophical analysis with purring cats in the background audio should be its own genre on KZbin.

[@xHarpyx]

Politics should be a collaboration, not a war.

[@lucyferos205]

That's not possible. People will always disagree over important matters. There will always be some ideological conflict over everything.

[@101-q6t]

Kinda late for that now.

[@darkartsdabbler2407]

@@lucyferos205it absolutely is possible. Compromise is inherent to politics. It isn’t always easy, especially when dealing with religious fundamentalists who refuse to budge on the grounds of “god told me so” But it is absolutely “possible” and pretending it isn’t is only playing into division

[@sierrad.7654]

I really appreciate your thoughts on this topic. It was eye opening to say the least, I’ll definitely have to give those books a read. Thank you for sharing I really sheds light on why it’s so difficult to actually communicate our thoughts and feelings to people who fundamentally disagree with us. It’s almost like we all speak the same language just with different dialects and we have to take the time to learn the words that will be able to properly communicate what we think to the other person. Basically we have to think like them to explain how we think. wow this whole thing so deep and awesome, I can’t wait to hear what you’re thinking about next :)

[@cameronland5934]

We are in for a rough ride.

[@bradleystreet5690]

Great timing for all the things that folks are going through now!!!

[@AstonCulf]

oh I am so ready for another Zoe video

[@Nico84802]

This video is exactly the kind of information I’ve been needing to hear, with all of the arguing and political ads and debates I’ve been hearing. Thank you for such a clearly communicated breakdown of these complex ideas!

[@segamai]

Probably one of the most helpful videos I have ever seen about how to approach changing people's minds. And the next ones down the list are also from this channel lol

[@researchingwesa3323]

i love hearing your cat purr under you talking. cozy and joyful in a rough subject at a rough time. made me smile.

[@jackuval9362]

that kitty is like subway surfers gameplay in the corner

[@cheetaking243]

Credit yet again for making one of the most thought-provoking video essays I've ever watched! This video had me questioning literally everything I thought I could take for granted about communication, and thinking about possibilities in my writing that I'd never even considered before. Thank you so much for another incredible video!

[@intellectually_lazy]

you know how people have prints of words painted in pretty letters framed on their walls? i was sitting beneath one when someone said that when they look at me, they think of faith. they definitely got that notion from the sign

[@moimimi9399]

Great video. Thank you. Don’t be sorry for the length ❤

[@Rotaretilbo]

While I do appreciate the manner in which ideological frameworks and the metaphors that lend themselves to those frameworks are important to navigating political discussion and understanding where someone is coming from, I also think we can just acknowledge that conservatives _are_ hypocrites. When conservatives say they want "small government", the fact that most of their policies *aren't* small government isn't a mistranslation, they're just lying. When conservatives say they want to "reduce spending", the fact that they consistently outspend liberals isn't a mistranslation, they're just lying. Conservatives have recognized that, even within their own ideological frameworks, even within their own metaphors, it would not be popular with their constituents if they said "We want government to dictate what individuals can do, but not what businesses can do," because that idea is antithetical to the freedom framework they specifically couch their ideas. They can't say "We want to run up the deficit, we just don't want to spend any of that money on the poor," because that idea is antithetical to the responsibility framework they specifically couch their ideas in. So they lie. They create euphemisms that aren't just metaphors missing some context, but are explicitly *the opposite* of what they're trying to do, because they understand that if they were honest, even within their own frameworks and metaphors, their ideas wouldn't be popular. (And yes, liberals do this too. The difference is, when conservatives lie like this, they're lying to moderates to mask how conservative they are. When liberals do it, they're lying to their base to mask how conservative they are.)

[@vaporeonice3146]

The things you describe are how politicians act. I recommend separating the people who develop and enact the policies (i.e. “conservative politicians”) from the people who vote for them (i.e. “conservatives”). The general voting public have these (as you pointed out, logically inconsistent) definitions of these terms handed to them, and feel drawn to certain aspects of the policies or, more accurately, the feeling they evoke about the government’s role in their lives. You will be best served by assuming that a non-politician’s stances are inherently reasonable (that is, the way they think makes sense based on the information they’ve taken in as well as their material or emotional needs that aren’t being met) based on their own maps and definitions, and trying to understand their perspective from there, rather than trying to disprove it or show how irrational it is because you disagree with it. Conversely, you will be best served by assuming that a politician’s statements are NOT inherently consistent, but that they serve to fulfill the two jobs of the politician, 1) to get elected, and 2) to uphold the interests of the state as it is currently is (in the U.S., this is a neoliberal capitalist state that uses military power and proxy wars to maintain economic supremacy). Politicians are still humans, but their ability to meet their human needs (in terms of being respected by their community, feeling a sense of worth and purpose, and feeling agency in the world) are attached to their ability to do their job as a politician, so they will absolutely lie to do their job. It’s hypocritical in the sense that their words don’t match their beliefs, but it’s internally consistent if you see it as them trying to fulfill the two tasks that being a politician requires.

[@Rotaretilbo]

I see the distinction between layperson and politician, but I think both are hypocrites in their own way. When a conservative states one of these euphemistic ideals, there's a few things they might mean: **A)** They might _actually_ mean it. This person has taken the euphemism at face value, and just not given it much further thought. These people aren't really using the ideal as a map, it's just a thing they heard that sounded nice. They don't usually care *deeply* about the presented ideal, or they'd probably have noticed the contradiction themselves already, but they at least think they care. You can't really proceed with these people and figure out what their actual map is until you've pointed out the seeming contradiction between a stated ideal and actual conservative policy, which will either evoke thoughtful introspection, or activate cognitive dissonance, depending on whether the person in question has been conditioned to consider you an "enemy" or otherwise been conditioned against critical thinking more generally. Activating cognitive dissonance can still be useful, because it might get them to introspect on their own time, once they're out of the presence of the "enemy", but it's just as likely, maybe more likely, to just push them into the next group. **B)** They don't _really_ mean it. This person likes the sentiment behind the euphemism, but on some level, they understand it is a euphemism. They're okay with the actual policy, often because they don't think it will negatively affect themselves, but thinking about it makes them feel kind of icky, so they mostly stick to the euphemism because it's comforting to pretend. Engaging earnestly with this person, as if they believe the sentiment, is only useful insofar as the cognitive dissonance makes them feel icky, and feeling icky might push them to admit to themselves explore _why_ they feel icky afterwards. If you want to figure out what their actual map is, however, you'll have to work backwards from the actual policies, not their words, because they're not being honest. **C)** They _really_ don't mean it. This person only engages with the euphemism as a useful lie. Whether they engage with the euphemism because they believe in the actual policy the euphemism obfuscates, or just find it useful to appeal to the people who do, is largely immaterial. When this person states the euphemism, either they intend to confound an argument, or they are trying to be mindful of people in the two prior groups who aren't ready to say the quiet part loud. Attempting to engage this person is usually an utter waste of time. The only thing you can do is expose the euphemism. This is where you'll generally find all of the conservative politicians. I would argue that the majority of lay conservatives fall in Group B, people who have seen the euphemism exposed, but continue to pretend anyway. The people in Group A are almost entirely young people who haven't been exposed to much of the world. It's why conservatives, both layfolk and politician, attack education, and especially university, with such vigor. The longer a conservative manages to stay in Group A without having the euphemism exposed, the more easily they'll transition to Group B or even Group C when the euphemism inevitably is exposed. For the people in Group A, often the best thing we can do for them _is_ to call attention to the hypocrisy (in a civil matter; name calling and the like is obviously self-defeating) and hope they abandon conservatism. I want to believe the people in Group B are reachable too, but I think an important part of it is how long they've been there, how many times they've seen the euphemism exposed and continued to pretend, how comfortable they've gotten with pretending. Some of these people are reachable by calling attention to the hypocrisy-that's how I started deconstructing-and some of them, I don't really know how to reach. The people in Group C, are functionally beyond our reach; given enough time and resources, I believe anyone _can_ be reached, but we don't have infinite time and resources, so the best we can do is try to neuter the rhetoric these people use to keep others in Groups A and B, which involves calling attention to the hypocrisy. So while I do recognize the difference between the lay conservative and the conservative politician, I also feel that approaching these euphemisms as hypocritical, approaching conservative policy as contrary to stated conservative ideals, is more useful than treating them as earnest beliefs with which we need to identify common ground. We shouldn't assume we all share universal values, but when dealing with conservatives, we also can't assume that the stated values _are_ their values (that is, after all, how we often fall into believing we share universal values; a lot of their stated values _would_ be shared, if they were earnestly held).

[@TwoForFlinchin1]

​@@vaporeonice3146 separating conservative politicians from their base doesn't make sense when the base has driven the party to the right.

[@literallyap0tat0-q7q]

Interesting how conservatives constantly lie about what they believe. It's almost like their ideology is trash and everybody know it.

[@smrndalodz7182]

Phrases like 'small government' are really too vague to be meaningful. But plenty of people don't really dig very deeply into the words they hear or read. If a politician says 'small government' they think about what part of government they don't like, and imagine that part would go away or shrink. It's kind of why words like 'small government' or 'religious liberty' or any other number of phrases. The odd thing is, if you dig into the right documents (like the project 2025 stuff) it's all out in the open. It's just not that many people are going to actually read it.

[@rebekahcarrell4291]

A fascinating video! I didn't realize the power of metaphors was this extensive. I learned something new!

[@Iridescence93]

There's a famous quote about diplomacy being war by other means. I think the same could be said of electoral politics

[@CarrotConsumer]

You mean 'war is politics by other means' or am I bring obtuse?

[@Rowan_Oak]

I don’t often comment on KZbin videos but I want to thank you for your video, and videos. Recently I’ve tried to break from the cycle of short form content and these videos help engage my brain in a way that is actively beneficial. Also, your videos make me feel like I’m in the classroom which is great. I enjoy getting to interact with something that touches on a lot of what I’ve been thinking of recently, especially with the overwhelming nature this election is taking on. Thanks!

[@matthuck378]

Now I can't stop thinking about skin color described in books I've read. It's disturbing to me that a white woman's skin is often described as porcelain...Where a Black woman's skin is described as chocolate. I've read those same descriptions so many times in my life...SMH. One is a permanent material used for fine goods and sculpture, the other is candy. There's a lot to unpack there. Especially because white men are almost never described as 'porcelain'.

[@AlexisBabayan]

I guess every once and a while, a white woman gets a "food" description like "peaches and cream..." but you rarely get a description like "his skin was the color of a baked salmon!"😂

[@smrndalodz7182]

I'm guessing its also that 'porcelain' is supposed to be delicate. The whole 'describe black skin tones as something involving chocolate' - on one hand, it might just be that it's a way to explain color. I once years ago saw a video with a black artist who talked about how 'I think about our skin tones like coffee with varying degrees of cream put in' - but I also think that it's sometimes a weird sort of fetishization. Like it tells you more about the person writing than the possible person they describe.

[@CarrotConsumer]

Being pale isn't a trait valued in men like it is in women, generally. Men are expected to work, wrestle each other, and other manly things in the sun.

[@Dachusblot]

While I do get the criticism about food metaphors, I struggle with it a bit because oftentimes just labeling a character's skin color is boring, but other metaphors tend to sound weird and unappealing. So I tend to default to the boring description to be safe, but it's kind of a bummer that it's such a loaded topic. It's also frustrating because I feel like if I _don't_ describe the skin color at all, the reader will just default to white, because that's how our culture is.

[@perhaps1094]

@@Dachusblot I think the key is just avoiding the types of words people say with a fetishising tone like ‘chocolate’ or ‘coffee’, just takes a bit of research. Other than that I don’t think this is something where you should be walking on eggshells.

[@Site_42]

An absolutely fabulous video. Brava👏

[@SeamusDonohueEVEOnline]

24:06 "People also don't have 'idea allergies', though that is very funny to imagine."

[@markuslanggeng]

You're a very great communicator, I cannot thank you enough for making me understand these core concepts stuff about communication. Like, The part where you explain "I need to know what frameworks others have and which area of their framework overlaps with mine" makes it soo much clearer. I was totally oblivious to that. I finally understand why I can't seem to change my conservative parents' mind. Now I'm gonna try your suggestion. Thank you very muchh.

[@ThePigsmasher]

Wow that tucker Carlson dad's home speech made me uncomfortable for how like obvious the deep seated psychology is. The audience cheering multiplies the effect.

[@attker89]

It's interesting that one metaphor I noticed recurring throughout the video is the idea of "the other side of the aisle" to refer to American politics (or politics in general). This is such a common metaphor, but it's interesting to examine it's entailments. For one thing, it reinforces and naturalizes the two party system, assuming that all people or ideas fall into one category or the other, and that all people within a party share the same ideas. It also encourages binaristic thinking about political issues, assuming that all perspectives on an issue can be neatly categorized on one "side." This spatial metaphor also reinforces the divide between the "Left" and the "Right," portraying them as separate categories with some kind of natural barrier between them. One limitation of the metaphor is that it doesn't account for the fact that people of different perspectives do live together as a community, fundamentally intermixed and not neatly separated. (Although there is some relationship between geography and politics, nothing about it is as clear-cut as an "aisle.") It's interesting to think about how the metaphor we use more and more to describe the divide we increasingly see may actually be contributing to that divide.

[@intellectually_lazy]

i had a character ask someone "who runs this place," and they said, "you mean, flees? cowards, i guess."

[@holly9154]

This is a great video and puts into words the beliefs I have very eloquently. I found it interesting just how ingrained spatial metaphors are in our language and how they affect our maps when you were talking about the "two sides of the political aisle" lol. The two party system in the US is reinforced by language like this, when in reality there are as many different groups of political beliefs as there are people in the country. The two party system highlights the differences between beliefs and frames democrat vs republican as in group vs our group, but also diminishes people's individual beliefs when they are not in line with the dominant beliefs of whichever of the two groups they are closer to.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

44:33 So happy this has subtitles. "Rhetorician" sounds difficult to parse even just saying the word to myself out loud.

[@True_NOON]

As i nonfamously coined it "People make Words, Words make People"

[@astralecliptic]

30:38 I'm still working my way through this video, but thank you for this!! I grew up with School House Rock, and I used to love the idea of the "melting pot", but as I've grown older, I've gotten less and less comfortable with it. It bothers me that I so rarely hear the flip side of the metaphor - in the past, what seems to most often have happened is that people choose or are forced to leave behind their old cultures to conform to the American monoculture, instead of celebrating the beauty in having so many different cultures living side by side. Admittedly, my view is far more colored by my own attempts to look back into my history than any personal or recent experience - I'm a solidly white American, though half of my family are descendants of 20th century immigrants. None of their traditions or knowledge made it to my generation, and it sometimes makes me very sad when looking back through old records. I can't pronounce my great-grandparents' names or that of their hometowns properly, and because they chose to anglicize their surnames at Ellis Island, it's difficult to even search for them. I imagine they thought this was an opportunity to reinvent themselves when they did it, but they died young, so I suppose I'll never really know.

[@astralecliptic]

On a less serious note, I'd be very curious to see how these studies look in languages other than English. I study User Experience, so I remember reading some articles about how people from different cultures interpret the "forward" and "back" arrows in slideshows differently, with some cultures seeing the buttons as moving the slides, versus others seeing the buttons as moving the presenter!

[@smrndalodz7182]

@@astralecliptic When you mention the buttons, it made me think of something I learned. For speakers of languages like Arabic or Hebrew of Farsi, that go from right to left, the instinctive way to swipe is to swipe left to go forward and swipe right to go back. So various apps need to be 'translated' to be more intuitive. With dating apps, there's the slang about 'swipe right' and I think of how that would be the wrong one in other languages.

[@ixfalia]

This is genuinely one of my favorite, if not my actual favorite of all your videos. Thank you so much for sharing and all your work, and for the clear journey you've been on tussling with these difficult topics, and treating them as worth exploring and discussing and treating with respect.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

23:30 Far as entailments go I like taking metaphors outside of them and trying to figure out "Okay, if the entailment somehow stretched to here, what would that look like for the thing this metaphor is a metaphor for?" It's if nothing else fun at least. 24:05 Idea allergies ARE humorous!!! 25:05 You can also eat plants!!!

[@mattkuhn6634]

Great video! Also thank you for including Desmond in this video. I realize you probably didn't have much choice, but I loved his little purrs and antics. Definitely made a heavy topic less heavy. Also, I think a lot of this probably comes down to sapir-whorf - the words we use definitely influence the ways we think, and we know that effect is broader than just metaphor. It's part of why linguists prefer descriptive grammar - what's important isn't whether or not a word or phrase is "correct," but whether it is something people actually say.

[@localblackman427]

"We understood that politics is nothing but war without bloodshed and war is nothing but politics with bloodshed." Fred Hampton