PUBLIC POLICY FORMULATION: THE LIMITS OF CITIZENS LANGUAGE SENSITIVITY.
Language is systematized words, signs, symbols, gestures with meaning given to those elements based on specified rules and regulations in a given community as a means of communication. Language spoken in a given community has an underpinning philosophy in relation to meaning, use, logic, cognition, truth, reality, interpretation and interrelationships therefore when we use language or words in communication we are automatically juggling between and amongst the above listed elements in other to make our communication intelligible.
Please note that in this piece I shall use language and word interchangeably to mean the same.
In recent times our public sphere has been dominated by emotivization and overmoralization of public discourse that I wonder whether we are not metamorphosing into a society of emotionally unbalanced creatures. I do not know how we got here but I can imagine that globalization and the internet of everything are both playing significant roles in our newly acquired emotional oversensitivity.
Nowadays every statement, commentary, pronouncement is scrutinized for its linguistic sensitivity by overzealous language purist who are out to make a mould out of thin air; just recently a statement on twitter was credited to kemi Adeosun though wrongly but the reactions that the tweet generated left me speechless to the extent that I began to soliloquize as to why we have become a nation of cry baby committing suicide just because father never came to our birthday or mother never sent us a greeting card.
We are becoming psychologically mutilated with our unwholesome acceptance of everything western pseudo science presented to us on a plateau of globalized emotivization via the broadcast, print and e-media influencing communication and the cognitive aspect of our language in a manner that citizens language/word sensitivity in public policy formulation and pronouncements or what overzealous language purist called political correctness is spilling over into the political linguafranca and public policy language architecture in Nigeria, to the extent that it is transmogrifying meaning, commentaries, pronouncements made by politicians or public officials into mind disorientating pseudo-depression afflicting the citizenry sense of judgement cum decipherability at the level of meaningful interpretation because politicians and public officials subconsciously/consciously imposed self censorship as a result of pressure from overzealous language purist when dealing with the citizenry leading to gibberish because most times what they ''communicate'' lack clarity.
Strangely, those overzealous language purist propagating politically correct mechanised use of language in public discourse/discussion are themselves guilty of insensitivity in the use of language which they labelled politicians and public officials with because they often used oppressive languages to put politicians and public officials in a tight corner thereby denying them their fundamental right to free speech.
I am not suggesting that politicians and public officials do not have to be sensitive in relation to citizens emotional need in public policy language or when it comes to treating other humans with respect and honour but we must draw a line of demarcation when subconsciously/consciously imposed self censorship is stifling societal progress and public intellectual engagements thereby plunging us into a state of abracadabra wherein we have an illusion that we have been able to stop bigotry through overmoralization and emotivization of every public discourse.
While we try to protect the honour, respect, dignity of other citizens in respect of the use and choice of language we must however recognise that the fundamental right to free speech as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria is not violated in any form or mannerism.
IRORUN IGI NI IRORUN EIYE. The comfort of the tree is what assures the comfort of the bird on it.
OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE is a philosopher
Twitter: @pearl2prince
Please note that in this piece I shall use language and word interchangeably to mean the same.
In recent times our public sphere has been dominated by emotivization and overmoralization of public discourse that I wonder whether we are not metamorphosing into a society of emotionally unbalanced creatures. I do not know how we got here but I can imagine that globalization and the internet of everything are both playing significant roles in our newly acquired emotional oversensitivity.
Nowadays every statement, commentary, pronouncement is scrutinized for its linguistic sensitivity by overzealous language purist who are out to make a mould out of thin air; just recently a statement on twitter was credited to kemi Adeosun though wrongly but the reactions that the tweet generated left me speechless to the extent that I began to soliloquize as to why we have become a nation of cry baby committing suicide just because father never came to our birthday or mother never sent us a greeting card.
We are becoming psychologically mutilated with our unwholesome acceptance of everything western pseudo science presented to us on a plateau of globalized emotivization via the broadcast, print and e-media influencing communication and the cognitive aspect of our language in a manner that citizens language/word sensitivity in public policy formulation and pronouncements or what overzealous language purist called political correctness is spilling over into the political linguafranca and public policy language architecture in Nigeria, to the extent that it is transmogrifying meaning, commentaries, pronouncements made by politicians or public officials into mind disorientating pseudo-depression afflicting the citizenry sense of judgement cum decipherability at the level of meaningful interpretation because politicians and public officials subconsciously/consciously imposed self censorship as a result of pressure from overzealous language purist when dealing with the citizenry leading to gibberish because most times what they ''communicate'' lack clarity.
Strangely, those overzealous language purist propagating politically correct mechanised use of language in public discourse/discussion are themselves guilty of insensitivity in the use of language which they labelled politicians and public officials with because they often used oppressive languages to put politicians and public officials in a tight corner thereby denying them their fundamental right to free speech.
I am not suggesting that politicians and public officials do not have to be sensitive in relation to citizens emotional need in public policy language or when it comes to treating other humans with respect and honour but we must draw a line of demarcation when subconsciously/consciously imposed self censorship is stifling societal progress and public intellectual engagements thereby plunging us into a state of abracadabra wherein we have an illusion that we have been able to stop bigotry through overmoralization and emotivization of every public discourse.
While we try to protect the honour, respect, dignity of other citizens in respect of the use and choice of language we must however recognise that the fundamental right to free speech as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria is not violated in any form or mannerism.
IRORUN IGI NI IRORUN EIYE. The comfort of the tree is what assures the comfort of the bird on it.
OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE is a philosopher
Twitter: @pearl2prince
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