Ultimately it was hoped to make articulate speech issue from the larynx without involving the higher brain centres at all. This aim was frankly admitted in the Newspeak word duckspeak […]. Like various words in the B vocabulary, duckspeak was ambivalent in meaning. Provided that the opinions which were quacked out were orthodox ones, it implied nothing but praise, and when the Times referred to one of the orators of the Party as a doubleplusgood duckspeaker it was paying a warm and valued compliment. ― Orwell, 1984
When the term "safe ground" originally began tumbling out of mouths or onto pieces of paper it meant something specific ― if only because it had to because things hadn't gotten complicated by hearing/reading the term more than once.It was a friendly term ― spoken in Friendship Park, by gum. It had to be friendly, didn't it? It was safe, after all, and safe is better than dangerous. safe is good, doubleplusgood, while dangerous is unsafe and ungood. It's doubleminusungood!
safe ground meant a legal place to camp. Made sense, right? What Sacramento homeless folk didn't have was a legal place to camp. safe ground was such a place, imagined, a utopian vision -- that it was hoped would manifest, somehow, someway, somewhere.
To bring about safe ground, an effort was needed. A term needed to be devised/concocted/crafted to refer to this effort. It was decided that the effort would be called, um, ah, safe ground! No, not safe ground junior, which could easily be differentiated from safe ground, but safe ground.
But merely just safe grounding (working toward a legal encampment) safe ground (a legal encampment) wasn't BIG enough for the egos of the Trotskyites in the Sac'to homeless-help manufacturing industry, WHO MUST CHANGE THE WORLD, or, the US constitution, anyway. So a term was needed to express the REVOLUTION that was afoot! Inspiring minds got together and came up with just the most-delicious term possible: safe ground! So instead of just safe grounding safe ground they could safe ground!
But what should they do to safe ground (i.e., make an effort). They needed a ploy, a ploy they would call safe ground! -- which was an illegal encampment to draw attention to the need for a legal encampment.
So the safe ground (ploy) that safe ground (the campaign or effort) came up with to create a safe ground (utopia) and, ultimately, safe ground (the end of capitalism! guaranteed jobs for all! no more new technology! free beer and donuts with sprinkles!) was set. Until the turf was pulled out from under safe ground (utopia).
There would be no safe ground (utopia); instead the promise of more more more was met with Houses for All!
The inspiring minds met in the plush interior of a Hawthorn Suite. What to call this new uberutopia that was triplewhammygoodgoodgood? safe ground! And the effort to manifest it? safe ground! And the revolution to put everyone in a mansion where the streets are paved with gold? safe ground!
In celebration, John Kraintz changed his name. His friends just call him safe.
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