YAHOO! News
A viewer's guide: What to watch for during Obama's State of the Union speech
Click the link above to read the article I am commenting on...
Let's first review the meaning of "God" & "Devil" terms. Both instigate feelings within in the audience, however, they differ greatly from one another. "God" terms are words and concepts we all use throughout our everyday lives to describe or communicate ideas of universal positivity. By this I mean, words that almost no one would disagree on their overall theme or mood. Some "God" terms include words such as, freedom, prosperity, happiness, success, and the like. On the other side of the coin, there are "Devil" terms. These words do slightly the opposite of their "God" counterparts, and tend to prompt feelings of uneasiness, discomfort, hostility, or even anger. "Devil" terms can be words that do not necessary instigate any of these listed emotions for you, but may for your audience, which then implies that the use of "Devil" terms should be, and usually are, monitored more closely than other language and especially "God" terms.
The use of both of these terms is extremely prevalent in today’s political speeches. No exception is the president’s State of the Union speech. Here I have placed a link to an article informing the public of what they should watch for in Obama’s upcoming speech. In this article, Sasseen notes that the president has not had much luck connecting on an emotional level with the voters in the past few speeches, with the exception of his address at the Tucson memorial. To fix this problem, and to “win” back some of his once loyal voters, he must convince Americans of his sincerity and clear understanding of our economic situation at hand. To do so, he will most likely overuse his repertoire of “God” terms and very carefully select the “Devil” terms he will be using. The use of “God” terms in this speech will inspire feelings of positivity in the hearts and minds of his audience, whilst the few “Devil” terms he chooses to use will starkly remind the voters of his intentions and the apparent reality. Use of BOTH of these terms is necessary in speeches such as Obama’s State of the Union due to the high emotional response and their ability to originate feelings otherwise not received through language without these terms.
-Lex
