Mind over Memes
eBook - ePub

Mind over Memes

Passive Listening, Toxic Talk, and Other Modern Language Follies

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Mind over Memes

Passive Listening, Toxic Talk, and Other Modern Language Follies

About this book

Too often our use of language has become lazy, frivolous, and even counterproductive. We rely on clichés and bromides to communicate in such a way that our intentions are lost or misinterpreted. In a culture of "takeaways" and buzzwords, it requires study and cunning to keep language alive.

In Mind over Memes: Passive Listening, Toxic Talk, and Other Modern Language Follies, Diana Senechal examines words, concepts, and phrases that demand reappraisal. Targeting a variety of terms, the author contends that a "good fit" may not always be desirable; delivers a takedown of the adjective "toxic"; and argues that "social justice" must take its place among other justices. This book also includes a critique of our modern emphasis on quick answers and immediate utility.

By scrutinizing words and phrases that serve contemporary fads and follies, this book stands up against the excesses of language and offers engaging alternatives. Drawing on literature, philosophy, social sciences, music, and technology, Senechal offers a rich framework to make fresh connections between topics. Combining sharp criticism, lyricism, and wit, Mind over Memes argues for judicious and imaginative speech.

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Yes, you can access Mind over Memes by Diana Senechal in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Languages & Linguistics & Linguistic Semantics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Introduction
  4. Take Away the Takeaway
  5. Change, Our False God
  6. The Ubiquitous Team
  7. Is Listening Passive?
  8. Research Has Shown—Just What, Exactly?
  9. Social and Unsocial Justice
  10. The Toxicity of “Toxic”
  11. The Springs of Creativity
  12. In Praise of Mixed Mindsets
  13. What Do We Mean by “We”?
  14. A Good Misfit
  15. Afterword
  16. Notes
  17. Select Bibliography and Recommended Reading
  18. Index
  19. About the Author