Al-Zarqawi's Death: Glass Half-Empty or Half Full?
The great philosopher Yogi Berra said, "You can observe a lot just by watching." If I could paraphrase Yogi’s quote and apply it to current events, it would go like this: “You can hear a lot just by listening.”
If there were any doubters of that truism, all they had to do was flip through the TV channels the morning after the news broke about the bombings that killed Al-Zarqawi in Iraq. Each network anchor had a different spin on the story, filtered through their own biases or that of their producers and writers. Some of the comments heard the morning after:
"It’s a great victory for the U.S. this morning."
"His death will have little real effect on the war in Iraq."
"I think we’ll begin to see things improve substantially now in Iraq."
"His death will certainly boost Bush’s ratings at home."
"But we need to do a reality check on how little his death will really affect Bush’s ratings here at home."
"It’s only a psychological victory."
"It’s a great symbolic victory."
"Al-Zarquawi was the most recognizable terrorist name in Iraq."
"Al-Zarquawi was nothing more than a street thug who knew how to use the media—others behind the scenes control the real power."
Biases and emotions have a way of working their way to the surface of most every conversation. If you want an intriguing pasttime while waiting in line at the airport or grocery store, try decoding people’s language to see what you can learn about their underlying assumptions and belief system. Have you heard examples of your own around your workplace?
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