How language shapes action

Addiction Economy Thought for Today - This excellent article here from Aurelien Mondon on politics may seem very tangential to this subject but isn't!

He explores how by using the term 'populist', which has an air of democracy about it, instead of 'far right', and giving them a platform (eg Farage on 'I'm a Celebrity') the media has been "platforming, hyping and legitimising far-right ideas while seemingly opposing them and denying responsibility in the process". Their rise is therefore 'diverted onto conveniently “silent majorities” of “left-behind” or a fantasised “white working class' for voting them in without attention paid to the failings of current politics or mainstream media. "We too often view the far right as an outsider – something separate from ourselves and distinct from our norms and mainstream. This ignores deeply entrenched structural inequalities and forms of oppression core to our societies".

The connection with addiction, is how the focus on addiction as a 'disease' or the result of 'an addictive personality or gene', positions it as an unfortunate by-product of modern society and the addicted person is to blame. This conveniently forgets the direct political and commercial influences, trade offs and conscious decisions which make products causing dependence, even addiction are mainstream. The 'entrenched structural inequalities and forms of oppression core to our societies' are important here too, but political and commercial decisions are often disconnected from the problems.

OK, not quite as clear as I mean to be here, but it's early days, we are working on it!