Weasel Words

Words: 1251
Pages: 6
Open Document
The United States of America, the land of the free, and where everyone works hard together for the same common goal of improving our country. That would be the most beneficial society, however, that is not the case. There are many people in this country, who are hard-working taxpayers, however, there are those who live from the taxpayer’s money. There are many assistant programs put in place, to help individuals that are in “need”, one of these systems is Welfare. Although the welfare system was put in place to aid individuals and families who are in need, many people have found ways to abuse this system. According to the online article “The 35.4 Percent: 109,631,000 on Welfare” by Terence P. Jeffery he states, “But the 109,631,000 living …show more content…
In the article, “Weasel Words: The Art of Saying Nothing at All” by William Lutz he states, “Weasel words appear to say one thing when in fact they say the opposite, or nothing at all” (Lutz 521). “New” and “improved”, are two of the many weasel words described by Lutz in this article. “What makes a product ‘new’? Some products have been around for a long time, yet every once in a while you discover that they are being advertised as ‘new’. Well, an advertiser can call a product new if there has been ‘a material functional change’ […] When used in advertising ‘improved’ does not mean ‘made better’. It only means ‘changed’ or ‘different from before’” (Lutz 524). A “material functional change”, can be anything that the manufacturer does to change the product, and this change does not have to necessarily improve the product, the author gives the example of a product being changed to a different scent, which would now make the product be considered “new” and “improved”, even though the product does not clean any better (Lutz 524). The government can propose a change to the welfare system, and label it as “new” and “improved” however, this change may not even improve the system, in some ways it can negatively affect the welfare system. In many ways, the government has attempted to change and “improve” the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. According to the online article “Welfare Reform- Social …show more content…
Two ways that recipients can abuse the welfare system; are by being able-bodied individuals who are capable of work, and those who use and abuse drugs while receiving welfare money. The comparison between the amount of people that receive welfare, and those who are full time taxpaying workers is horrendous. “In 2012, according to the Census Bureau, there were 103,087,000 full-time year-round workers in the United States (including 16,606,000 full-time year-round government workers). Thus, the welfare-takers outnumbered full-time year-round workers by 6,544,000” (Jeffery). There are more people who receive government aid, then are there those who are supporting it. This should mean that all of those who receive welfare are incapable of work, however, that is definitely not the case. To put things even more into perspective there are more people living off welfare in than United States, then the entire population of both the United Kingdom and Ukraine put together (Jeffery). That statistic puts into perspective that there are over two countries of welfare recipients, who live in the United States. In 2015, the Guilford County of North Carolina cut food stamps to able-bodied individuals. Able bodied individuals were considered men and women between the ages of 18 and 49, who did not have any dependents and were not disabled. Still, even with this “new”
Show More

Related Documents: Weasel Words

Compare And Contrast The Ways In Which Duffy And Pugh Present Politics Within Their Poems Essay

and political leaders. In 'Weasel Words' Duffy criticises the way politicians are filled with deceit. The epigraph to the poem, defines weasel words as being ‘empty of meaning’, introduces the key theme of the poem. She uses the sonnet form to parody the logical argument of political speakers, a well-versed form that seeks to disguise the fact that there is no real meaning behind the words that are spoken, they are simply evading the truth. "Let me repeat that we weasels mean no harm" represents the…

Words 671 - Pages 3

literary analysis Essay

paragraph 4 Sojourner Truth writes “He says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.” The passion in her words and her whole argument are what makes people think over things and really affect the way people feel. Final Draft: Literary Analysis 2: “Ain’t I woman” In Sojourner Truth’s excerpt, “Ain’t I A Women?” the narrator talks about how she thinks that…

Words 1140 - Pages 5

Annie Dillard Weasels

instincts rather than their optional choices. Humans tend to let their brains make practical and effective use of their heads and hearts. You do not need to live by choices because you could be wild like a weasel. Annie Dillard says, “A weasel is wild,” telling us that weasels are highly instinctual. Weasels have an inborn pattern of behavior and are not taught how to catch their preys because it is a response to stimuli. On the other hand, humans have cognitive control of their options. Sometimes when ethical…

Words 988 - Pages 4

Lessons Learned In Annie Dillard's 'The True Teacher'

in subtle hints surrounding humans always, and many humans have discovered them. Two humans who have caught the drift wrote about what they learned as notes for others of their race. Annie Dillard wrote about her teacher in the passage Living Like Weasels, and Mark Twain wrote about the lessons he found in the passage The Lowest Animal. Although the authors have different outlooks on the subject, both speak of lessons they have been taught through nature. Nature guides humans through life if humans…

Words 880 - Pages 4

Living Like Weasels Analysis

Wild animals and tame animals alike are known for their razor sharp teeth. In Dillard’s “Living Like Weasels” the author talks about her experience with a wild weasel who has teeth so sharp that they are described as being capable of “splitting the jugular vein at the throat or crunching the brain at the base of the skull” (Dillard). In my personal experience with animals, animals are good, but with a more recent experience, the animal, a one-year old German Shepherd, decided that food gave him just…

Words 747 - Pages 3

Essay on Verizon FIOS

techniques and claims to convince its target audience that they should purchase Verizon FiOS because it is the fastest, highest quality and most reliable service. The advertisement mainly uses “special offers”, “transfer”, “unfinished claims”, “weasel words”, “testimonials”, “facts and figures”, and “unique claims” to convince people to purchase it. For instance, the advertisement says that you can get either a $300.00 Amazon.com Gift Card or a $300.00 Visa Prepaid Card with a two year contract. This…

Words 382 - Pages 2

A Rhetorical Analysis Of George W Bush 9/11

acknowledging that it was friends and family that had died in the attacks. Bush shows that he is in grief just as the families of the victims. Bush uses many rhetorical strategies to appeal to his audience. He uses a couple weasel words like deliberate and deadly. Bush uses words like these all throughout his address…

Words 302 - Pages 2

Paper Explains Beauty, Fitness and Health

looks ten years younger then it did before. With extenuation on the words new, age defy, and “hair that acts 10 years younger” and sleek looking packaging they are bound to sell their product to the masses. After asking the women in my life what they thought of the ad, most of them mentioned that they already owned a similar age defying hair product. The advertiser who created this ad uses a weasel word “acts” which is a word that is empty of any specific meaning, allowing the consumer to imagine…

Words 1110 - Pages 5

Ambrose 1 Advertising Essay

they are being deluded by the commercials. Jeffrey Schrank’s article “The Language of Advertising Claims” has ten claims that advertisers use to make the consumers purchase a certain products to feel sexy and appealing to the opposite sex. Schrank’s Weasel Claim is the most used method that companies use to delude the people who watch these advertisement to buy certain products. In the Nike Women magazine, the advertisement for Nike clothing, has a caption talking about the woman’s behind ending with…

Words 920 - Pages 4

Essay on Advertizing Design and Functionality

Name English: Fall 2014 Due date: Essay 2 Advertizing Design and Functionality Product ads use many different designs styles, colors, appeals, and weasel words to set viewers to believe the products will change or better the viewer’s life. An example of such advertizing is the Graco 4ever 4-in-1 car seat magazine advertisement. The layout starts with four pictures of girls at different ages using three quarters of the page. The pictures are laid out in a progressive manner from a baby to…

Words 1003 - Pages 5