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It will not come as news to many Dartington students and staff, especially those concerned with writing, that the current battle for Dartington is being fought, essentially, with language as the most prominent weapon. Or, more accurately, those who advocate the course of action approved by the college governors on March 2nd (the so-called Falmouth option) have run their campaign on the basis of re-defining words, inventing new usages, and, in some cases, totally reversing usually understood meanings.
These are sneaky tricks, but not without precedent. The contemporary art of political spin is essentially a matter of language games, a kind of neuro-linguistic-programming supposedly for the gullible masses and designed by the Machiavellian new elites.
The serious implications of rewriting the language are, as George Orwell understood in “1984”, you can only think what you can speak, therefore those who manipulate the language set the agenda. And as Chomsky says, those who set the agenda have power, the best way of challenging power being to challenge the agenda. Or as Lewis Carroll demonstrated in “Alice in Wonderland” (which appears to be the subversive text of the moment) if you turn the world topsy-turvy you create nonsense. No one can understand nonsense, therefore everyone is disorientated, and a state of obfuscation is created. There’s benign nonsense, such as that encountered by Alice, and there’s malicious nonsense - which is excellent for the “off with his head” style of management that currently holds sway at Sshh-you-know-where.
So for those who understand that language is power, the Save Dartington College Campaign offers the following shorter Totnes Dictionary of Dingtonspeak as a way of demystifying the whole Falmouth flim flam now poised to destroy a unique and largely successful vision of arts higher education.
“Pursuing the prospect of merger” – chasing the funding
“Relocation” (the big one) – closure
“Colleagues jobs” – pawns in a cynical game. Meant to prick the conscience.
“Sustainable” – large scale
“Historic decision” – sell-out
“Mutual ambition” – both want the funding
“Merger” – total loss of identity
“Public servant” – oligarch, only accountable to other oligarchs
“Deeply regret” – lack of vision and/or imagination. The alternative meaning is: couldn’t give a toss
“Specialist university of the arts” – a culture of the arts as product, as use value or source of funding
“New academic vision” – appealing to funders
“Elmhirsts” – old idealists with more money than sense that must be paid lip service to now and then. A sort of Old Labour of the middle classes.
“Traditions” – brands
“Local community” – a bunch of hayseeds with a certain nuisance value. To be appeased if possible
“Insubordination” – expressing an opinion
“The arts” – funding prospects
“Option” – fait accompli
“Consultation” – fair accompli
“Cornwall” – Priority funding
“Funding” – the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
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