- 14 Jul 2017 18:28
#14823518
"They're building a new mega-mall near the old golf course."
"They're trying to get us into a new war."
"They're going to build a highway through our suburb."
They. They. They.
Not us.
What does it mean when people ascribe various social phenomena to "them?" Who exactly are "they?" And who are "we" as opposed to the people who build malls, highways, and wars?
I would suggest that when people say "they" are moving society in a particular direction, these people who use "they" don't feel like they have any influence or say in what gets built or done around them. Far from direct democracy, the "they"-user is saying that he is just a pawn of other people's plans whose only power is to observe and comment (to no effect) on the various whims of "them."
They are the slave masters. When you use the expression "they" in this way, you are admitting that you are nothing more than a slave to other people.
soundtrack
"They're trying to get us into a new war."
"They're going to build a highway through our suburb."
They. They. They.
Not us.
What does it mean when people ascribe various social phenomena to "them?" Who exactly are "they?" And who are "we" as opposed to the people who build malls, highways, and wars?
I would suggest that when people say "they" are moving society in a particular direction, these people who use "they" don't feel like they have any influence or say in what gets built or done around them. Far from direct democracy, the "they"-user is saying that he is just a pawn of other people's plans whose only power is to observe and comment (to no effect) on the various whims of "them."
They are the slave masters. When you use the expression "they" in this way, you are admitting that you are nothing more than a slave to other people.
soundtrack