In this episode, we take a closer look at how governments use various tactics to craft agreements in ways that keep the average person in line. One of the key tools in this process is legalese—a dense, technical form of language filled with jargon, old-fashioned terms, and complex sentence structures.
Legalese is often intentionally confusing. It’s written in a way that makes it difficult for everyday people to fully understand what they’re agreeing to, unless they have legal training. This creates a power imbalance—those who write and interpret these documents (like lawyers, judges, and officials) have the upper hand, while everyone else is left trying to make sense of something that sounds like it was written in another language.
We’ll explore how this language is used to create a surface-level agreement between parties, while often hiding deeper implications in plain sight. Understanding how legalese works is the first step toward seeing through the illusion of fairness in many legal agreements.
RIng The Bell
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
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