You have probably caught on to politicians’ mastery of giving long-winding names to straight forward activity. Like the most commonly used term for corruption these days is ‘political conspiracy’ in a America we saw ‘The War on Terror’, that as you already know was another phrase used 2 describe America’s attempted takeover of eastern resources. And (of course) “Weapons of Mass Destruction” is a phrase used to identify the figment in the U.S. Government’s imagination of evidence that they (the Americans) will use as the primary reason to attack…it’s like the guns or the drugs they plant on people just so they can have reason to arrest them, only in America’s case they don’t actually get around to planting the evidence, and after their ‘war on terror’ is over and they realize that the world is waiting for answers they say ‘Oops we were wrong, mistakes happen’ and wait for the next president to clean up the mess.

This amongst others represents the way in which we as human beings have used the mastery of the English language against (both) others (enemies, people around us etc) and ourselves. For instance these days we have flings, this term is used to denote relations between two individuals that has as its primary purpose the satisfaction of the physical desires of the parties. “Friends with benefits” is another commonly used term.
Quite recently I have heard of the word, “itshotsho” which (directly translated) represents the money that you would pay to an official at the traffic department to get a license or a policeman/metro officer to allow you off the hook even though you smell like a brewery and just skipped a red robot at 200 km/h (in the middle of the CBD).

Of course one cannot doubt the far reaching implications of such tendencies. The war on terror is a perfect example, there is no excuse for the animalistic manner in which basic human rights were violated lives and families ruined, all in the name of oil and the furtherance of the American empire’s hand (well) into the pockets of ‘developing countries’ (another term whose meaning will be saved for a debate for another day).

Our lives are shaped by a variety of factors, all of these are highly important.
A great determinant of the quality of our lives is the labels we place on the actions we partake in and those that happen around us. I think it kind of determines how far we are willing to push the line. The label will also determine the frequency of the action, for instance it is probably more common that you will find friends with benefits now (in our generation) more than you previously would, (of course the validity of my claim is subject to research and the growth of the population) but I think you may agree with me just based on your observation, the level of teenage pregnancy and what your grandparents say about this generation of ours.
If you don’t agree think about two sets of guys. They both have different names for excessive provision of drinks, playing drinking games, and the supplement of social drugs such as weed and then sleeping with girls. One group calls this “Date Rape” the other calls it “Alcohol Lubrication”, which group is (in your opinion) more likely to continue with the action?

The conclusion that labels determine frequency is further entrenched by this fact: once a label is attached, there is a definition that follows, this definition usually seeks to clarify the label (on the action) and further explain the relevance of the action. I actually saw the true meaning on a documentary I caught not too long ago.
Tshepo (a gangster) is interviewed on TV about the reasons he commits the crimes that he does. He started by mugging moved to house break ins, to car hijacking, to cash in transit heists until he founded his own organization that specialize in hijacking and cash in transit heists. Asked why he does what he does, his rationale is that he doesn’t steal from black people, (not anymore that is) he only steals from the very oppressors (and their offspring) who took away the wealth that originally belonged to us. In essence he is ‘taking back’ (repossessing) what originally belonged to him.
What perfectly sound logic behind his cause don’t you think?
Tshepo simply believes that he is in the repossessing business, simply taking back what rightfully belonged to us in the first place. Anyone can see some logic in the rationale, it has meaning. This deep level of thought (applied) allows the perpetrator to continue on his mission without the constant burden of his conscience.
The explanation is usually associated with a ‘need’ and an explanation of why the action meets the need. Once constructed this wall of thought becomes a stronghold in the mind of the individual. It now goes further than the phrase, but is further rooted by the reasons given.
“A smoke is a stress reliever, it helps me study.”
“It’s not cheating if she doesn’t find out.”

So the first part in this deadly equation is the part where we give it a euphemistic term, to clothe its barrenness. For instance Tshepo would in this process swap the phrase stealing for repossession.
The second part is when we define it, of course in the definition the stage has already been set, and the wording is carefully chosen to fit the already euphemistic term. For instance America would call define the ‘war on terror’ as: the freezing/safeguarding of eastern capital so as to eliminate the possibility of that vey capital being used against them (America).
That’s one of the characters of these words, they possess so much logic that as a listener you cannot help but concede as to the relevance and the need for the action. You agree, sympathize, nod, put yourself in the situation…you understand. “Of course it’s a political conspiracy, he didn’t do anything to deserve the charge. It’s his enemies, the whites, the media. He didn’t bribe anyone (neither did he accept a bribe). It’s not corruption, it’s a political conspiracy.”

My aim with this piece is not to point fingers, God knows there are three other fingers pointing at me…he also knows there are times when I… *no never mind.*
The primary aim is to present to you the dangers of words, the danger of using words to clothe the real intention of our actions and effect from its performance. The mind is a powerful tool, it knows the desires of the ‘flesh’ and it can (when pushed) present a range of explanations (for the affirmative) that will contend the original dissuasion.

It knows what you want and what you do not want, and it can assist you to effectively complete the assignments facilitated by human weakness.
The secondary aim is to present to you how low a bar can go. The phrase ‘booty call’ is more mature in age than its sibling fling/friends with benefits. It is a more raw and crude term denoting the very same thing. One is more likely to accept the phrase fling than booty call, simply because ‘fling’ is more sensitive to the cause. The word booty is a rather unpolished word for bum, and simply translated the word “booty call” means a call for sex (which usually happens in the late hours of the night/ early hours of the morning). Once human beings became more and more acquainted both with the English language and their ‘needs’ they invented a term that depicts more generally (and respectfully) the relations that they sought.
The lower we set the bar for ourselves whether in matters of accomplishment, standard of living and moral value, the lower it has the possibility of going, this is captured by the phrase ‘aim for the stars and fall on the clouds’. I say this not because of my motivational speaker title but because of its reality.

I also hope that we would kill the spin doctor within. Yes the guy who keeps on using the English language against us. The guy who says, “Let me just rest” when we know we crossed the lazy line an hour ago. We should kill that guy, he’s a liar, seriously. He’s also the same guy who told you to bribe that cop, ‘just get it over and done with so you can go to your family’ good advice aint it. In the greater scheme of things? No! I mean who’s going to be crying when their car gets hit by a drunk driver on the M1 who just paid inducement money on Empire Road.
We never really get to see the prelude to the accident on T.V., we just see the accident. We don’t see the guy arguing in his head whether he should or shouldn’t have another beer, whether he should call a cab. We just see a bus overturned and a car underneath it.
We also never get to see the man wrestling within his heart about whether he should get the hot girls number, arguing whether he should call her (or not), whether he should sleep with her or not. We just see a fed up mother leaving with the kids. I can bet you a thousand bucks, it started with the spin doctor within.

We never hear the spin doctor speak, but if you can listen carefully to other people speak you can recognize his voice he sounds a little bit like this: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”, “how can a virus cause a syndrome” and the classic “I am a man I have needs.”