3 posts tagged “linguistics”

"Federico Fellini could help save democracy," said Lorenzo, an 18 year-old UC Santa Barbara film student, to his classmates during the complimentary Sunday brunch served by retired actress Rona Barb to her youthful room tenants.

"My dad," voiced Roger, another film student, "says democracy is dead, and our civil justice system and lawyers are being neutered by corporations that want to get away with murder without having to pay damages. My dad's an attorney -- he knows."

"That's right," said Lorenzo. "My father is making a movie about corporations stealing the planet from under our feet by using frames. It'll blow people's minds. My dad worked with Fellini. He saw people in Italy change after City Of Women came out."

"That's the craziest thing I ever heard!" jumped in Ms. Barb, participating in the discussion while pouring tea.

"No, it's not crazy at all!" protested Lorenzo. "The movie I'm helping my father make is about framing ideas to reshape the way we see the world. I learned a lot about that subject when I assisted in filming Professor Lakoff."

"Okay, okay, but changing how we see the world and saving democracy? Changing the way Italian men see women? Wow! That'll take a lot more than a movie," argued Ms. Barb as the boys laughed.

"It's like stopping global warming. That will take a lot more than Al Gore's movie."

"Some books changed the world, and movies can do it faster," insisted Lorenzo. "For years the media has been putting down trial lawyers as if every lawyer was a bad guy. They pushed Congress to vote against public protection and cut damage awards so low that lawyers can no longer take big corporations who hurt people to court. People lost and business won."

"So, what's that got to do with a movie about saving democracy?" Ms Barb queried.

"A lot. If you're hurt, you should have the right to sue. So corporations spread the myth that trial lawyers are all bad. That's a dirty corporate trick. Professor Lakoff suggests that we call attorneys 'public protection attorneys,' not 'trial lawyers.' The 'public protection attorney' frame reminds people of the good attorneys do. It would look real bad for business to try and smear public protection, right? That's all got to do with framing language! The word 'trial' is a scary word, but 'protection' -- that's a good word. People would wonder what is really going on if they saw 'tort reform' as an attack on public protection. Get it? Cutting protection for people -- that's not reform, that's a con job."

"So? I still don't get it. What's that got to do with a movie saving democracy?" persisted Ms. Barb.

"Well," Roger, answered, quoting his dad, "'Lawyers should never have to defend themselves in propria persona in the court of public opinion.' They know better. That's what they always tell other people. Well, they ought to follow their own advice. A movie can show Americans that controlled media is destroying our civil defense system. That's part of democracy."