Voters reward Boris but what about the fog of Brexit Newspeak?
by Rashmee
Posted on May 14, 2021
/ LANGUAGE The May 6 elections in England showed something interesting. People want to be team-players. In a pandemic, they want to support their government, particularly when it has tried to do what it can to keep them safe. Accordingly, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party gained approbation — and votes — because its government overcame its … Continue reading “Voters reward Boris but what about the fog of Brexit Newspeak?”
Read MoreThe Brothers of Italy are led by a sister, but their politics is still the same
by Rashmee
Posted on May 7, 2021
/ LANGUAGE Can we really, with a straight face, talk about women as bringing a totally different, healing touch to politics? In India, there is Sadhvi Rithambara, who is often accused of the most venomous hate speech against Muslims. In France there is Marine le Pen. And Italy has its own wannabe Marine le Pen … Continue reading “The Brothers of Italy are led by a sister, but their politics is still the same”
Read MoreHope and change in Bidenomics terms
by Rashmee
Posted on April 30, 2021
/ LANGUAGE On his 99th day in office, President Joe Biden used the language of hope and change because the “power of positive thinking”, as Norman Vincent Peale pointed out, is enormous. So is Mr Biden’s spending plan. At $4 trillion, split into two bills, it is simply enormous. The theme, clearly, was hope and … Continue reading “Hope and change in Bidenomics terms”
Read MoreAbout that question mark on the letterboard in George Floyd Square
by Rashmee
Posted on April 23, 2021
/ LANGUAGE After the conviction of the white former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd, the clearest, most obvious reaction was linguistic restraint. So, in George Floyd square, the renamed area where he died in Minneapolis, activists cheered as soon as the verdict was read. But they … Continue reading “About that question mark on the letterboard in George Floyd Square”
Read MoreLobbying and cronyism in Britain: fat cats and other felines
by Rashmee
Posted on April 16, 2021
/ LANGUAGE Britain’s so-called lobbying and cronyism row is anything but. It’s about fat cats, lean mean hunters, entitled purebreds, scruffy strays, trainable tabbies, rebellious rescues – in other words, all sorts of felines padding through the corridors of power. Lobbying and cronyism is a feature, not a bug of British politics. The language being … Continue reading “Lobbying and cronyism in Britain: fat cats and other felines”
Read MoreMoney talks. Mitch McConnell and corporate America’s First Amendment rights
by Rashmee
Posted on April 9, 2021
/ LANGUAGE I thought the Huffington Post offered the most succinct analysis of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s call to corporations to stay out of politics. “Shut up and donate,” said HuffPo’s headline. The strap provided all the other context anyone might need: “Congress’ biggest defender of corporate political speech rights changes his tune.” Quite. … Continue reading “Money talks. Mitch McConnell and corporate America’s First Amendment rights”
Read MoreLegislative thuggery in Georgia?
by Rashmee
Posted on April 2, 2021
/ LANGUAGE In 1897, Mark Twain described the menace of Thuggee in India on the basis of a 60-year-old British government report. Twain noted in ‘Following the Equator’ (sometimes published with the alternative title ‘More Tramps Abroad’) “that nobody could travel the Indian roads unprotected and live to get through; that the Thugs respected no … Continue reading “Legislative thuggery in Georgia?”
Read MoreWords have long been a weapon against Asian Americans
by Rashmee
Posted on March 26, 2021
/ LANGUAGE As America confronts a yearlong escalation in anti-Asian violence, the role of language in the whole situation is noteworthy. I don’t mean only Donald Trump’s language – “China virus”; “Kung flu” etc – but the way Asian Americans are often categorised. As Axios has pointed out, Asian Americans are often burdened with the following phrase: … Continue reading “Words have long been a weapon against Asian Americans”
Read MoreHomage to Catalonia: A profoundly European disconnect between words and deeds
by Rashmee
Posted on March 19, 2021
/ LANGUAGE There are words and then there are deeds. On March 9, the European Parliament voted by secret ballot to remove the parliamentary immunity of three of its members, all Catalans who were formerly part of the government of that prosperous region of Spain. All three MEPs are wanted by Spain over Catalonia’s 2017 … Continue reading “Homage to Catalonia: A profoundly European disconnect between words and deeds”
Read MoreHow the cookie crumbles
by Rashmee
Posted on March 12, 2021
/ LANGUAGE Google recently declared that it will “not build alternate identifiers to track individuals as they browse the web” once third-party cookies are phased out. What does that really mean, in plain language? I found Vox’s explanation most interesting. Click here to read the whole thing. Some of the highlights in the piece are … Continue reading “How the cookie crumbles”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK