Word series
The journalist, I. F. Stone, once wrote “all governments lie.” I guess this means that we shouldn’t be surprised by the antics of our current government. However, the sweeping magnitude in distortions of the truth and manipulation of the meaning of words seems almost unfathomable. Justification of the Iraq war was just the beginning. The “Clear Skies Act” and “Clean Water Acts” both authorized more pollution. And “No Child Left Behind” literally meant leaving millions of poor children behind... and the list goes on.
The works in this series depict the erosion of a few critical words, and hopefully stand as a reminder that we must find a way to speak out when attempts are made to change their basic meaning. Silence in the face of these abuses is unacceptable. Truth, trust, justice, integrity, humanity, are words that lie at the foundation of any free society and understanding the meaning of these words across cultures and languages is essential for finding solutions to living in a peaceful world.
