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OCR Page 1 of 49Overblown rhetoric
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
By William H. Stringer
Have we Americans be-
I found such words as
massive mobilization, it
gun to curb our journalistic
"frightening," "deadly" and
warned, could "keep Presi-
rhetoric a bit? In these
"desperate" much used.
dent Nixon from further
churning times, editors and
A letter in an East Coast
desperate escalation."
columnists and suchlike
newspaper said a Supreme
No one of these choice
have let swing with some
Court decision permitting
items amounts to much, of
marvelously
overblown
case workers to enter wel-
itself. And some of us be-
comment. With so much
fare homes began "a fright-
come so accustomed to the
overstatement, I submit, the
ening era in the Supreme
sharp phrase that we hardly
public consciousness is un-
Court and in our country."
notice it; it is "wolf, wolf"
necessarily irritated and re-
Scare talk?
cried too often. Yet this sort
sponsible discussion and
Our good Walter Hickel,
of thing wears out the lan-
sound conclusions are ham-
formerly Secretary of the
guage. It is abrasive to the
pered.
Interior, said at the time of
body politic and the ordinary
Last spring and summer,
Cambodia, "I was scream-
citizen.
I clipped some examples of
ing inside." A White House
overheated verbiage from
correspondent predicted last
March that President Nixon
But there seems to be less
the national press - from
would this year face his
of the heightened decibels
editorials, columns, book re-
"stormiest season yet."
lately. Perhaps people are
views, letters to the editor.
less choleric because the
Lately I haven't found so
&
war in Vietnam is being
many. Apparently, more
(Somehow the China over-
visibly wound down, and be-
than the campuses have
ture and the new economic
cause something is being
cooled.
policy tempered the breeze.)
done about inflation and
1
Meanwhile a minister was
other major irritants.
reported saying that the
Possibly we are witness-
Here's what I mean. A
church "historically and hys-
ing a cooling, not only of
prominent columnist re-
terically had been the
the campuses, but of the in-
ferred to America's "ghast-
greatest antihomosexual
tellectuals and the pundits
ly" welfare system. The
force." Historically perhaps,
and all of America. Perhaps
system has been called a
but, "hysterically"? Nice al-
it is a sign of the times
lot of names; but, does
literation, of course.
that Look magazine, in one
"ghastly" fit? An East Coast
A book review found that
of its last issues, carried a
editorial said a labor union
Americans were "reeling
piece (by Allen Drury)
had "mindlessly" supported
and staggering" from the
which was actually a sym-
the SST. Whether one fa-
Pentagon Papers disclo-
pathetic and friendly por-
vored the supersonic trans-
sures. One other letter-to-
trait of President Nixon.
port, or opposed it, was
the-editor writer declared
And here is Commentary
"mindlessly" the word or
that a Washington editorial
magazine, spokesman for
was it pejorative?
daring to call Nikita Khrush-
many Jewish intellectuals,
A professor, in a letter to
chev a great man was "nau-
now attacking the New
the editor, said he had "just
seating.' And, let's see, one
Leftists, denouncing nihilist
endured the agony" of read-
of those advertisements ask-
advocacies, and saying that
ing President Nixon's for-
ing for donations to finance
most of the talk about
eign policy report. Well now,
one more march on Wash-
America being a repressive
was it really "agony"? Of
ington predicted that the
society is just talk and noth-
course this phrase-user
war in Vietnam was going
ing more.
found the report to be full of
to expand, creating "an
Maybe it's not so chic any
"pontifical pretension" and
even greater risk of ultimate
more to be always denounc-
"injured benevolence"!
nuclear combat." Only a
ing and defaming.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
Relations
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