Yesterday:
“Let’s have trial by combat.”
-- Rudy Giuliani
Language is power.
And, power is a continuum—in other words, one form of power seems to beget another.
Since power is often fueled (originated / maintained) by ideas, language is often a catalyst for ideas related to it.
It stands to reason then, that inflammatory language has effect (just like any other form language does—wouldn't it be nice, if not more helpful right now, to see what other forms of language and power look like?).
What you say matters, especially as a leader; because it affects what others do. So does silence, by the way...as appalling as inflammatory language is, not addressing it and letting it be is just as bad (where, for example, has this kind of thing been throughout all of this?).
On the power continuum, language and action are not too far apart.
After yesterday, do we need any more examples to illustrate the point? When someone, like President Trump, says "We love you..." to those directly involved in insurrection, he is using power. He has been using this form of power, all the way along, to incite action. And, we now have an even more full view of the capacity for that language to influence how power is used.
