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Language and Persuasion Philip K. Dick, The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. Richard Moore, Language is a field of battle, the media is the artillery, and vocabulary is the ammunition.

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Language and credibility n Bush-isms Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? "They misunderestimated me." (Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000) "...more and more of our imports are coming from overseas. (reported in Slate, Sept. 25, 2000) "Recession means that people's incomes, at the employer level, are going down, basically, relative to costs, people are getting laid off." Washington, D.C., Feb. 19, 2004 "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, it's probably in Tennessee --that says, fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again. (Baltimore Sun, Oct 6, 2002) "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." (LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000)

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Language and credibility-- continued n Language choices affect source credibility Senator George Allen referred to a man of Indian descent as a macaca, a racial slur n Misspellings and grammatical errors can reduce credibility in resumes or emails In everyday interaction example: Me and her been to that movie. I seen that movie too.

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Language expectancy theory n Burgoon & Siegel (2004): people have expectations about what they consider to be normal, acceptable language use in various situations. n When a persuader violates an audiences expectations, the violation may be viewed positively or negatively. Depending on the sources attractiveness Depending on the sources reward power

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Green labeling n Environmentally friendly labels vie for consumers attention Dolphin-safe tuna (fish nets that dont kill dolphins) Fair Trade coffee label (ensures poor coffee growers receive a fair price) Sweatshop free clothing Free Farmed label (humane treatment of dairy cows and animals slaughtered for meat) Green products (earth friendly goods and services) Environmentally friendly companies

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Greenwashing n Roberts (2008) more than 90% of green labeling is misleading more than 50 percent of eco-labels on the shelves today promote some type of narrow eco-friendly attribute, such as recycled parts or content. However, they neglect to refer to inherent environmental drawbacks like manufacturing intensity. Example: Tyson Chicken promotes its chicken as "all natural," even though the company treats chickens with antibiotics Example: Kraft's Post Selects Cereals, touts that its cereals have "natural ingredients" when, in fact, the corn in the cereal is genetically engineered

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Beware of labels n Healthy, nutritional A study of 30 nutrition bars (protein bars, meal replacement bars, diet bars or energy bars) found that 60% did not live up to their labels. 15 of the bars had more carbohydrates than claimed. Some had sodium and saturated fat levels that were 2- to 3-times greater than the labels stated. n Natural This term doesnt mean anything. The FDA has no regulations governing the use of the term natural on foods. It is simply a buzz word consumers like to hear. n Organic 68 percent of Americans said they thought organic foods were safer to eat or healthier than foods without such a label. In a recent interview on ABC News' 20/20, Organic Trade Association director Katherine DiMatteo reiterated that organic products are not safer or more nutritious than other foods.

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The Power of Naming n People reconstruct reality through language: Kenneth Burke, humans are symbol using, symbol misusing, symbol making animals. n The symbol is not the thing: symbols are arbitrary, but people dont always realize this example: living in the 909 versus 90210 or the O.C. n The ability to name something defines reality, shapes perceptions, confers power example: terms for African-Americans example: undocumented worker versus illegal immigrant or illegal alien example: evil-doer, terrorist versus freedom fighter or martyr example Clear Skies Initiative (which weakened EPA regulations)

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