An Indirect Message about Comey's Balls

There is a shadowy corner in our language. A professor of linguistics is able to use a jungle of jargon to sanitize the shadows for a classroom of students; one linguist, at least, is also able to use coldly observed behaviors and a lifetime of professional study to cast light on a dark place we all must walk.

Below, she calls it 'metamessage' or the message behind the message. The word 'metamessage' cleanses and specifies one nearly invisible yet overreaching aspect of human communication - The indirect meaning behind literal words. For example, if your fly is open and we are amongst mixed company I might say quietly, 'It's kinda breezy out here.' Well, it's not a weather report. It's indirect, but clear, language - and the indirect language is usually much more subtle than my crude tiny story - tiny here meaning the length of story, not the size of what is encouraged to be covered.

We all do it all the time - it's part of language. Well-hearted people use indirect communication; when black-hearted people do it, it enters into the frightening realms of darkness. One behavior of predatory persons - tyrants, abusers, manipulators - is something called 'plausible deniability.' A person who engages others using this pattern is toxic - it's confusing as hell; it affects the way the brain works in a disturbing and unnatural way. Those who have experienced this will be feeling a visceral tightening and will completely recognize the pattern; those who have not been targeted may feel this entire post is nonsensical gibberish; with no offense whatsoever, I'll posit those are lucky ones.

Ms. Tannen, a linguist, uses Donald Trump's abuse of James Comey as a platform from which to teach about one of the specters placed in the shadows of our minds by manipulators, tyrants and abusers. There are well charted courses of action which are effective in dealing with human predators - Ms. Tannen does not address them, limiting her article to the weapon of predatory indirect messaging. This weapon, this indentured specter of the terrifying shadows gets light in her article - and light is where the specter cannot exist.

There are extremely effective, rote, protocols for effectively navigating when life presents the Scylla and Charybdis of being targeted by a human predator. One course? Watch how Comey dissolved the mystique of power which is Trump's magic cape - watch how the light dissolves the spell and watch how the inflated image of power melts into a muddy puddle upon which history will trod. Comey, thank God for our country and our planet, has balls, is a patriot and is an experienced predator of predators; most are not in his position of grave responsibility and can follow a simpler path - 'get out, stay out and heal.'

Not to be religious on y'all, but I'm going to say it again - God bless Comey's balls. And may God bless the journey of all who commit to live free of tyrants, abusers and manipulators.

Here's a link to Prof. Deborah Tannnen's article, "It’s not just Trump’s message that matters. There’s also his metamessage."