Larry D. Lauer

Researchers have long pointed out that successful communication can only take place if the message receiver has the same meaning for the words that are used as the message sender. For example, when I say the word “dog,” I am only making a noise. The receiver must have the same meaning for that noise that I do. A dog lover will respond differently than a dog hater, and some people might even be thinking about a person they know!

Recent media revolutions made this communication reality even worse. Many important words are now losing their meanings. They get blurred in the mass of our overwhelming information overload. Simply put, people hear what they want to hear. Words like truth, socialism, conspiracy, collusion, treason, communism, capitalism, extremism, conservative, democracy, republic, spying, and even crisis, are clearly meaning different things to different people.

For example, many Marxist scholars would see socialism as a stage midway between capitalism and communism. And Russian communists will claim they are a democracy simply because they hold elections. When candidates are asked if they are capitalists, their answers will definitely mean different things to different audiences.

During my professional career I would ask groups to define words like these and there always was very little agreement. Most confused socialism with communism. Few had the same understanding of capitalism. And when Bernie Sanders talks about democratic socialism, his audiences will no doubt have differing ideas about what he really means.

Especially today, speakers and writers should always define their most important words before they use them. Or even better, maybe they should avoid using some words completely, and focus mostly on explaining their best ideas, as well as their plan for a totally renewed United States of America.

A positive tone and message for 2020 will be the only way to recapture the American dream. Above all, both parties must avoid drowning in the current administration’s moral cesspool.