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Friday, June 24, 2011

Breaking the Code on Buzzwords « Failing Schools

Breaking the Code on Buzzwords « Failing Schools

Breaking the Code on Buzzwords

JUNE 24, 2011
by mariasallee

Money helps campaigns succeed and so do strong messages, especially when the messages are adopted and promoted by large sectors of the public. Consider sound bites such as the following: “Take back America”, “Yes we can”, “Drill, baby drill”–all uttered by public figures with publicly stated agendas. Like them or not, the above statements are clearly presented for approval– to debate or to support. However, there are more insidious campaigns taking place through coded messages, many of them sponsored by people with big money and big agendas. People aren’t really aware that a campaign is occurring because the money goes quietly into multiple sources, spreading the message through media and through apparently well-meaning “grassroots” movements, often preying on sincerely good-intentioned people. Such messages start to emerge in a seemingly spontaneous manner, like a pop song that’s played everywhere you go. Often we