When I went to high school, I took five years of Latin, not because I was particularly interested in the subject, but because I liked the teacher. When I later began to work in Linguistics, all of the years of Latin finally came in very handy. However, that was a stroke of pure luck and had nothing to do with any foresight on my part. In high school, adulthood seemed worlds away.
In my sophomore Latin class we translated the writings of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.). As everyone knows, Cicero was the greatest orator of the late Roman Republic, and one of the leading political figures in the era of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. He wrote a great number of speeches, letters, and treatises that have survived into the modern era and are a testament to his greatness as a philosopher, politician, and orator.
When we translated Cicero in high school, we learned that he was a man of strong principles and convictions. He had great affection for his daughter, Tullia, and greatly mourned her death. He was unhappy when his son chose a military career. His feelings toward Marc Antony rapidly shifted from friendship to hatred. We read about his utter abhorrence of a senator called Lucius Sergius Cataline, who conspired to overthrow the Senate in Rome.
In one of his most famous speeches against this perfidious senator, Cicero uttered the famous exasperated exclamation, “O tempora, o mores!” [Oh, what times! Oh, what behavior!], an expression still quoted today.
This speech was something of a revelation for all of us. It made us realize that, even back in ancient Rome, everyone was convinced that the world was rapidly going downhill. Cicero had been complaining about the deterioration in moral values back in the First Century B. C. and now in the 1960s, our parents felt exactly the same way though in regard to our generation.
This signified that the world had always been going to the dogs, but never quite seemed to get there. Indeed, going to the dogs was like an endless road trip. That meant that the woes of the world were not our fault because the past had been just as messed up as the present.
Oddly, for some reason, many people believe that their ancient (anonymous) ancestors managed to crack the code and discover the magic key to the art of living a supremely virtuous life. It was only after this one perfect righteous time in the misty forests of the past that the secret had been lost, and morals had begun to irreversibly decline. Translating Cicero showed us that this belief had at least a few holes in it.
We also learned why Cicero was regarded as one of the greatest influencers of all time. He had mastered the art of oral communication. Part of the secret lay in his rhetorical devices, many of which are still used by politicians today in Times of Coronavirus.
One of the most interesting is apophasis (from the Greek "to say no"). Speakers use this device to bring up a subject by either denying it, or by stating that it should not be brought up. In this regard, apophasis is a (rhetorical) first cousin to irony. In this way, orators call attention to something by specifically saying that they will not mention it. This is one of the most frequent devices used in politics today.
Common phrases in apophasis include the following: I need not mention …; It goes without saying …; I don’t mean to suggest …; I don’t have to remind you that …; to say nothing of …. So, for those who wish to be rhetorical (as well as politically correct), that is an excellent recipe.
For example, though hardly as eloquent as Cicero, President Donald Trump frequently uses apophasis in his Tweets. In 2016, he tweeted of journalist Megyn Kelly, “I refuse to call her a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct." In 2017, as president, he tweeted of the leader of North Korea, "Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat’?" This only goes to show how useful a bit of Cicero’s technique can be when the pot wishes to insult the kettle.
Now, in Spain, in Times of Coronavirus, we are also getting a daily dose of apophasis in the news. It is becoming increasingly evident that the coronavirus is whirling out of control again. The djinn seems to be once more escaping from the bottle, and governments throughout the world are unable recapture it. Spain is no exception.
This is not surprising. According to Google, where all arcane knowledge is stored, there is no possible way to entrap an escaped djinn. They are creatures created by Allah made from “smokeless fire” according to the Koran. They have their own societies and can move through the atmosphere but are limited from traveling beyond the earth's atmosphere (sort of like Covid-19).
So, every day with increasing frequency, the Spanish Minister of Health, Salvador Illa (better known as Mr. Deer-in-the-Headlights), is mentioning confinement though without really mentioning it. He says that even though there have been numerous outbreaks throughout the country, he is not going to talk about confinement (even though he is actually talking about it). He adds that it is not a question of imposing restrictions and that this will certainly not happen. He denies saying that restrictions will return. But if that is so, why is he constantly bringing them up?
Other ministers also refer to the re-imposition of a State of Alarm, only to say that this will surely not occur (unless it does). They reiterate that they never said that the State of Alarm would be reinstated unless the situation drastically worsens…. but, of course, this will not happen. In all of these cases, the speaker always mentions confinement or State of Alarm by saying that it is not necessary to mention them.
If Cicero were still here today, he would no doubt be enchanted to see that after so many centuries, his rhetorical devices remain popular. It would almost compensate for his being beheaded by Marc Antony’s soldiers and then having his (lifeless) tongue repeatedly stabbed by Antony’s wife, who doubtlessly envied his way with words. But then, extreme eloquence is not always appreciated, as it should be.
