William Lutz Doublespeak Essay

In the essay, “The World of Doublespeak” by William Lutz, Lutz introduces the readers to a language called doublespeak. According to Lutz doublespeak is, “the language that makes the bad seem good, the negative appear positive, the unpleasant appear attractive or at least seem tolerable” (Lutz, 337). The language of doublespeak is intended to deceive the truth and to miscommunicate. Lutz describes to the readers four types of doublespeak, which include, euphemism, jargon, gobbledygook and inflated language. According to Lutz, there are many dangers with doublespeak. Many problems, since this language is used by politicians, government and businesses to mislead people. Double speak alters people’s perception of reality. It holds back from the knowledge people need to know to advance in society and culture. Doublespeak is really bad news because the audiences will not think it is bad news since they used the language where bad seems good. The first type of doublespeak Lutz mentions is euphemism, which is described as a phrase used to avoid a harsh reality. This type of doublespeak is considered dangerous because it avoids the true reality. An example Lutz states is, “when you express your condolences that someone has ‘passed away’ …show more content…
Gobbledygook may sound impressive but when it is analyzed more, it's just a pile of nonsense. Many people use this doublespeak to make themselves look like they know what they are talking about and since they are using big words, the audience believes what they are saying is truly meaning. For example, Donald Trump constantly says a bunch of nonsense in his speeches but since he has a serious look and speaks with confidence, the audience feel what he says is meaningful. Gobbledygook is truly dangerous because do the people actually know what the other person is talking about? How can people in a society vote for a president when they’re just saying a bunch of nonsense. Using