by M.C. Mircea

Created on: February 17, 2008   Last Updated: February 18, 2008

Scholar Charles Long defined "signifying" as imputing negative value to a particular group. This imputation is usually done by power-holders in society-politicians or media. We've all heard these signifiers: African-American men are dangerous; gay men are promiscuous; feminists are man-haters; and so on.

There are people who have gotten involved in controversy through questioning the status quo or criticizing someone in power. These persons are often rebutted on the basis of credibility and motive as one might expect. Attacking them through a "smear" type response or campaign also occurs, of course. People don't play fair too often. The "smear" type of attack is a form of signification, to equal the testifier/critic/citizen with a quality that will neutralize their comments or allegations.

A frequent accusation/signification is that the target is mentally unstable or mentally ill. This particular tactic is an example of a logical fallacy: "poisoning the well." Mr. or Ms. X is Y, therefore he/she cannot be believed. Using critical thinking, one can realize that a.) simply because a person is mentally ill does not make him or her a liar-the two are not synonymous; b.) anything anyone does and says can be collectively taken out of context and used against one in order to construct a false persona-no one is perfect; c.) if a lie or misrepresentation is stated over again, enough times, particularly in a forum of authority, it takes on the aura or truth.

One such example is Angela Wright. Angela Wright surfaced during Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearings sixteen years ago to support Anita hill's allegations. Wright worked with Thomas, and according to her, suffered sexual harassment and retaliation. At the time of Thomas' drama in the senate, she was instantly demonized by such public servants as Orrin Hatch and writer David Brock. Brock created a negative portrayal of Wright in his book The Real Anita Hill to serve the purpose of discrediting her allegations. In signifying Wright, Brock claims coworkers and supervisors (people in a position to know Wrights character) described Wright as an erratic, untrustworthy woman who was sexually obsessed and had to be restrained from violence. Wright is also described as unreliable, unprofessional and even ungrammatical. Here is just one excerpt from Brock's book on Anita Hill, regarding Wright:

"At the RNC, Wright's reputation did not improve. Former office mates remembered having to restrain Wright from pouring boiling

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