It?s no stretch to say that the Bush administration will go down
in history. The debate over whether its legacy will be notorious or
heroic is as heated and dramatic as the words the president has
used to call the nation to war. ZNet columnist Danny
Schechter, dissects what some say will be remembered as President
Bush?s most antagonistic and fiery rhetorical catchphrase, ?axis of
evil.? Taking a look at the accessibility this term has taken on in
the past year, through all branches of the media (Internet,
television, Hollywood, etc.), Schechter warns that without thought,
throwing such powerful?and ultimately theological?words around is
dangerous. ?The ambiguities inherent in, and the fears evoked by,
the rhetoric of evil forcefully silences dissent,? says Schechter.
He notes the cycle of life imitating art or vice versa was closed
neatly when Newsweek put North Korea?s Kim Jong Il on the
cover and called him, ?North Korea?s Dr. Evil.? The fact remains,
for speech writers and marketing execs out there, it won?t cut it
anymore to call someone, ?Dr. Annoying? or ?Dr. Doesn?t See it My
Way.?
–Jessica Misslin
Go there>>
http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2003-01/14schechter.cfm
