[PEN-L:3649] Re: The New Zealand experiment

[Ellen Dannin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]

On Wed, 3 Apr 1996 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> In Shniad's interesting post on NZ we find the following:
> 
> The ethos of the market pervaded everyday life. Even 
> the language was captured, dehumanizing the people 
> and communities it affected. It became acceptable to 
> talk of "shedding workers," as if they were 
> so much dead skin.
> 
> COMMENT: This hardly seems a market image. It is of course biological.

The point Kelsey was making was purely reportorial.  She observes that 
the term "shedding" was used in place of more accurate ones, such as 
firing, discharging, laying off or, even, terminating.

James Boyd White, a law professor who is oriented towards the branch of 
legal thinking called "Law and Literature" has done a literary reading of 
works by neo-classical economists or legal scholars in the "Law and 
Economics" branch.  He observes that the language used is highly likely 
to lead to precisely this sort of deadening of human feelings for the 
misfortunes of others.  See James Boyd White, The Language and Culture of 
Ecnomics in Justice as Translation 46 (1990).  It is published by U. 
Chicago press.

ellen

Ellen J. Dannin
California Western School of Law
225 Cedar Street
San Diego, CA  92101
Phone:  619-525-1449
Fax:    619-696-9999