Verbal Vivisection: How Euphemisms, Oxymorons, and Doublespeak Disguise Our Violence Against Animals

I love language, and I advocate being thoughtful about the words we use – not in a way that is derisively called “politically correct” but in a way that reflects the truth and doesn’t hide it. I advocate using language that celebrates animals rather than denigrates them. I urge people to use language that says what we mean. Join me today as I talk about doublespeak, euphemisms, jargon, antonyms, oxymoron, semantics, lexical blindfolds, and other elements of language that conceal the truth in order to make us feel better about the horrific things we do to animals. I believe that as long as our violent treatment of animals stays hidden linguistically, our attitudes towards animals are unlikely to change, and they will continue to suffer. But if we choose words that promote compassion and speak truth, we can literally change the way we think about and thus treat animals. It just takes a little practice and awareness.