Guardian Weekly Letters, 12 January 2018

The dangers of language

The deliberate misuse of language has been a hallmark of the marketisation of society since the late 20th century. So André Spicer’s highly informative piece on business bullshit (22 December) is very welcome and suggests several conclusions: that the point of the language of neoliberalism is to construct conformity in thinking and acceptance of change.

The language of change is important to neoliberal warriors because they want carte blanche to change anything at any time. Then managers climb on board, holding workshops to persuade employees to adapt to change, even if workers have principled objections.

The relentless repetition of each era’s discourse has a very clear message: this is what you need to believe. The desired outcome is that employees toe the line.

But this isn’t left to chance. Neoliberalism has developed fearsome regimes of managerial assessment and redundancies just in case anyone had missed the point.

Corporate rule is ruthless. It wants power and profit. Language is a means to that end.
David Cooke
Auckland, New Zealand

• As a retired academic I am acutely aware of how spurious business bullshit practices created lucrative careers for the university’s burgeoning management/accounting elite and drained the time, energy and morale of those of us doing the menial but productive tasks of teaching and research.

Part of this is driven by government demands for accountability, rankings and so on, but most, I suggest, by personal motivation.

Am I right in thinking that the business bullshit practices are now so pervasive across the public and private sectors that it is difficult to find examples of alternative business models? Perhaps the Guardian Weekly can provide us with some.
Lorna Kaino
Fremantle, Western Australia

• In your 22 December edition it was amusing to see the curious juxtaposition of the truly excellent mission statement and values of the Guardian outlined by editor-in-chief Katharine Viner with the next article, which warned us against management-speak. Viner wonderfully was able to put her message over without management-speak. Well done.
Stephen Banks
Birmingham, UK

Many predators, much prey

Larry Elliott’s piece on the power of capitalism, especially the image of predators “munching” through prey, rang very true with me (22 December). But he has omitted one critical aspect: there is not just one tier of predators and prey but many.

In the 19th century we had mill owners exploiting workers and plantation-owners dependent on slaves. Today, we have corporate leviathans squeezing maximum efficiency out of employees who are engaged precariously. However, today there are other tiers of exploitation.

In order to keep the lower classes in the west satisfied, we (the prey) are bombarded with cheap products. This is the modern equivalent of the Roman bread and circuses. But the cost of this amusement is passed on as exploitation (Rana Plaza), cruelty (industrial meat production) and environmental damage (global warming). So this is not just a predator-prey relationship but rather a predator-prey-prey-prey relationship. One potential solution would be for us in the west to curb our indulgence. But we are far too attached to our bread and circuses to consider that.
Alan Mitcham
Cologne, Germany

Briefly

• Recently, during a voyage out to the Great Barrier Reef, I read about the 800km odyssey of the lost-and-found waterproof camera (8 December). Later in the day I dropped my own waterproof camera. A week later, when it was returned to me, I checked the photos. Although the camera was turned off, the last shot, like the camera in the story, showed the moment I lost it – a fluke shot of the dive deck. Do these cameras have abandonment issues?
Stella Martin
Cairns, Queensland, Australia

• Jonathan Freedland’s wish that It’s time for Britain to end the special relationship (8 December) may have been granted when it voted in favour of the UN resolution asking the US to rescind its decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
Kitty Monk
Auckland, New Zealand

• I read Natalie Nougayrède’s piece about Putin and Russia (15 December), noting the comment that “Infighting among the ruling elite is on display, with the trial of a former minister for bribery.” How many regimes have a minister for bribery?
Stuart L Grassie
Cambridge, UK

• Since I am a retired psychiatrist, Oliver Burkeman’s column of 15 December about dreams provoked a memory. I once stayed with a psychoanalyst friend who had a flat on Central Park South in New York City. His spare bedroom was his consulting room, and I slept on the couch. The first thing usually asked when I mentioned my host and the accommodation was, “What kinds of dreams did you have?” to which I could only reply, “Nothing special, just the usual rubbish, no precognitions.”
Jaime Smith
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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