Words matter

Friday I reported for the National Press Club's Web site on a speech by James Leach, former Republican Iowa Congressman appointed by Obama to head the National Endowment for the Humanities. The article is at this link: http://www.press.org/wire/article.cfm?id=1666. Something I didn't emphasize in the story is an emphasis on the importance of words - calling another country "evil," referring to cultural differences as "cultural wars," or designating a difference of opinion as "moral" has consequences. Reactions, he noted, may be stronger than actions. The "evil" don't need to be understood, "war" implies violence may be justified, and the opposite of "moral" is "immoral." Comprehending history and culture, subjects of the humanities, would temper this polarizing vocabulary, he asserted. I agree. But how do we introduce nuance into discussion?