HALF ART
CHRIS THURMAN: Sticks and stones may break your bones but the S-word will shake you
Words have power to make us angry, guilty, inspired, sad, exuberant. Ultimately, the true potency of language is only realised when thoughts and feelings are translated into behavioural change – that is to say, when words make us act. Some words lose their power through excessive use. When we read or hear words such as "Gupta", "Eskom", "Zuma" and "Dubai"; or, in global headlines, "Trump", "Brexit", "Alt-right" and "Climate" we feel a familiar stab but find ourselves numb to its effect. We tut-tut, shrug our shoulders, carry on with life – when these are precisely the words to spur us into action. Then there are words that always seem to incite over-reaction, sending people from across the entire ideological spectrum into paroxysms of righteous fury. "Transformation" is one of these — whether it’s in sport or of the ostensibly radical economic variety, you can be sure that someone, somewhere in SA, is frothing at the mouth either in support of or in opposition to it.Another good exa...
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