Glittering generality

Glittering generalities are emotionally appealing words so closely associated with highly valued concepts and beliefs that they carry conviction without supporting information or reason. They appeal to such emotions such as as love of country, home; desire for peace, freedom, glory, honor, etc. They ask for approval without examination of the reason. They are a typically used by politicians and propagandists.

A glittering generality has two qualities:

1. It is vague
2. It has positive connotations

Words like "strength," "democracy,", "patriotism", and "freedom" are terms that people have powerful associations with, and people may have trouble disagreeing with them. It is as if to say, who could argue against "freedom"? However, these words are highly abstract, and meaningful differences exist regarding what they actually mean or should mean in the real world. For instance, while few may argue against "freedom", how it is judged what exactly "freedom" is or should be in a given scenario may be completely contradictory between different people.

Contents

1 Some examples 2 An example in modern political discourse: "hardworking families" 2.1 Quotations 3 See also 4 External links

Some examples

• "I believe in an America that's strong at home and respected in the world. I believe we can have a strong economy focused on good-paying jobs, a health care plan that reduces costs, an energy plan that frees us from Mideast oil, and I believe we can lead a strong military and strong alliances that keep America safe and secure." -- John Kerry

• "It's really a difference about who do you trust, if you really think about it. Do you trust a social entrepreneur on the ground, or do you trust a planner in a faraway capital. And I think you'll find that these initiatives I've talked about, and the spirit that you've just defined, is now kind of the attitude in Washington. And that's important. That really is important. If we say what matters is whether or not lives are being saved, you figure out how to do it, you'll find that the entrepreneurial spirit at the social level will be much more invigorated and much more alive. The energy level will be tremendous at the grassroots level. And that's really the job of government, is to set the strategy and the goals and get out of the way." -- George W. Bush

The term may have originated with the Institute for Propaganda Analysis.

An example in modern political discourse: "hardworking families"

An example of a glittering generality in contemporary political discourse is the phrase "hardworking families", or "working families," which is used in the politics of the United Kingdom and of the United States, and which was heavily used by the political parties in the campaign of the United Kingdom general election, 2005. Emerging from some British newspapers around 1995, the first explicit analysis of the phrase in a mainstream media was done by the BBC in 2005: "Who are 'Britain's hardworking families'? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4458273.stm)".

• It has the positive connotations of its direct meaning, of "families that work hard" or "families whose members work hard" (cf. the Protestant work ethic), whilst leaving the exact meaning to the listener.
• It means different things to different people, connoting different sectors of society according to the politicial bias of the listener. (To a listener with a right-wing bias a "hardworking family" would be a family that was not one comprising feckless benefit recipients; whereas to a listener with a left-wing bias a "hardworking family" would be a family that was not one with unearned income, i.e. often a member of a more struggling socio-economic rung.)
• Politicians use the phrase in a vague manner, with the intent that the listeners, by dint of the positive connotations, perceive the politician to be referring to them; and with the intent that listeners agree that anything to the benefit of "hardworking families" is inarguably right and anything to the detriment of "hardworking families" is inarguably wrong.

For example: In debates on tax policy or public services, the contending parties (usually the Labour Party and the Conservative Party), may both propose to lower taxes and provide services for "hardworking families", expecting the listeners to infer that they are amongst the hardworking families who will gain from voting for the relevant party, and to agree that it is inarguably right for "hardworking families" to benefit from lower taxes and increased services.

Quotations

Some examples of politicians using (or being reported as using) the phrase:

• "She (Baroness Mallalieu) said the protesters wanted to show it was "hardworking families" which would be hit by a hunting ban." — BBC News, 2004-09-28 ("Pro-hunt demo at Labour gathering" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3695786.stm))
• "Turning to tax allowances, the married couples' allowance has been abolished, which is a strange move for a government who profess to support the family. They have abolished the MIRAS tax relief which has hit home-buyers. The change to the allowances for couples with children--the new children's tax credit--which is tapered away for higher rate taxpayers, will affect hardworking families on middle incomes." — Lord Northbrook recorded in Hansard, 1999-07-23 (column 1229 (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199899/ldhansrd/vo990723/text/90723-01.htm))
• "Sometimes hard working families need a little help" — the title of a monthly half hour television series (http://www.mpt.org/programsinterests/mpt/hwf/) produced by the Maryland Department of Human Resources and Maryland Public Television
• "A Conservative government will give hope to hardworking families – decent people who respect others, who take responsibility for their children and who contribute to their local communities." — Michael Howard speaking in Telford on 2005-04-10 ("It's time to set an annual limit to immigration" (http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=121612&speeches=1))
• "Then, it was mortgage rates at 15 per cent for a whole year with 1.5 million households suffering negative equity and over 250,000 families losing their homes—now, hardworking families are enjoying the lowest mortgage rates for 40 years. Then, it was 400,000 more on hospital waiting lists—now, it is almost 300,000 off. Then, it was crime doubled—now, it’s crime down by over a quarter." — Alan Milburn in Agenda: magazine of the Association of Labour Councillors, winter 2004/5 ("Britain is Working" (http://www.labour.org.uk/councillors/newsite/agenda/agenda_aut49fw.html))
• "WASHINGTON VERSUS HARD-WORKING AMERICAN FAMILIES" — Frank Luntz Republican Playbook at PoliticalStrategy.ORG ("The Budget: Ending Wasteful Washington Spending" (http://www.politicalstrategy.org/archives/001193.php))

Sometimes the use of the phrase by politicians is echoed in media reports on political events, or indeed the news medium itself employs the phrase as part of its own editorializing, in the expectation that its readers will infer that it is referring to them:

• "Meanwhile, the aspirations of ordinary, hardworking families will be the focus of attention for Tories in Bournemouth this week, their last conference before the General Election." — The Herald, 1996-10-07
• "It is equally certain that there will be something for hard-working families after Tony Blair and the Chancellor have made several public announcements about their commitment on this subject." — Daily Telegraph, 2005-03-14 ("At a glance guide to the most likely changes" (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/03/14/nbudg314.xml))
• "Chancellor Gordon Brown says that Tuesday's budget was designed to reward "hardworking families". What a sickening insult to the workers at Longbridge and the dependent factories who face devastation. ... These "hardworking families" now face the dole." — Socialist Worker, 2000-03-25 ("Labour fiddles while Rover burns" (http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/1689/sw168903.htm))
• In satire: "I got to do some great Soundbites. My favourites were: "hard working families", "providing opportunity and security", "breaking down barriers" and "on the firm foundations we have laid down since 1997 our programme will embed a new progressive consensus in our country". Who couldn't help but be stirred by the Passion of such sentiments?" — Independent on Sunday, 2005-04-17, ("The Curious Campaign Diary of Tony Blair: Gosh! What a spacematic week" (http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=630172))
• In a letter to the editor: "Sir: How right Andrew Schofield is (letter, 14 April) about the mantra "hard-working families". Having previously thought my working life fairly productive, I now discover that my single status proves me to have spent 25 years in total indolence. In fact, given that I've always worked in the public service and so can be dispensed with instantly with only benefit to the economy, I must always have been a freeloader of epic proportions. Given this, it would be hardly surprising if I could not be bothered to drag myself from my pit of sybaritic excess to a polling station." — Independent on Sunday, 2005-04-18, (letter by J Ambers (http://comment.independent.co.uk/letters/story.jsp?story=630490))

"Hardworking" is also, by itself, a glittering generality:

• "They hate our people because it is decent, brave, industrious, hardworking and intelligent. They hate our views, our social policies, and our accomplishments. They hate us as a Reich and as a community. They have forced us into a struggle for life and death. We will defend ourselves accordingly. All is clear between us and our enemies." — Joseph Goebbels' address to Germany, 1939-12-31 ("Goebbels New Year Address for 1940" (http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goeb21.htm), which in turn cites Template:Book reference pages 229-239.)

See also

• Code word (figure of speech)
• Loaded language
• Rhetorical device
• Language and thought
• Power word
• Logical fallacy

External links

• Propaganda critic: Glittering generalities (http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/ct.wg.gg.html)
• Hardworking families (http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2005/04/309083.html) — indymedia.org.uk
• Who are 'Britain's hardworking families'? BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4458273.stm)zh:光輝普照