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Persuasive Words: Framing Islamophobia |
By:
Kenrick Cleveland |
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We live in a world where fears and phobias, hatreds and prejudices exist. That's the simple part. The hard part is . . . does it matter to you? Are you affected by it? Do you work for social justice? Are you someone who prejudges based on the color of someone's skin or the kind of outfit they wear or how big or small they are? Race, class, gender, religion. . . all of these have people who support and detract, all of them are extremely complex issues that won't get figured out in a tiny article like this.
We all know what a phobia is--an irrational fear.
Now there's the new kid on the block, Islamophobia. Actually, the term isn't new. It made its debut in the 1980s, but didn't become popular until after 9/11.
Is Islamophobia a fear? Is it rational or irrational? Could Islamophobia really be just another brand of racism?
The world is framed through words. All of our meaning, aside from say art, non-verbal performace or music, is expressed through language.
The term 'homophobia' is used to describe 'an irrational fear of homosexuals'. And maybe a few people are afraid of homosexuals or being perceived as a homosexual, but the term should really be 'heterosexism' because more accurately than fear, there is an implied superiority of heterosexuality over homosexuality.
Here's an article that I found interesting on the debate of the term Islamophobia:
http://townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2007/07/31/why_islamophobia_is_a_brilliant_term
Whatever you think of the existence or non-existence of 'Islamophobia', it is always educational to see how the terms that are used in the media, in our lives, are constantly framing what we see around us.
Words have enormous power. Words can irritate and incite and enrage, or they can soothe and placate and calm. Words, when used with precision, set the frame for your listener to accept what you're saying. In doing so, you lower resistance and objection with your affluent prospects.
Kenrick Cleveland teaches techniques to earn the business of wealthy prospects using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion techniques. You are welcome to reprint this article - but get your own unique content version here.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article55987.html |
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