Statements & Acknowledgments [Only Until and Just As Long As]

I’m thinking about statements and acknowledgements.

I’m thinking about speech acts (Austin, Searle) and language functions (Halliday, Gibbons) and non-performatives (Ahmed).

I’m thinking about how these documents (sometimes ? / frequently ?) include an unstated force of only until or just as long as that disqualifies the stated purpose of their existence:

“We

understand/

declare/

value/

recognize/

support/

affirm/

commit to/

the importance of X

[only until this understanding/declaration/valuing/recognition/support/affirmation/commitment means we’d need to change how we do things].”

“We

condem/

reject/

resist/

do not tolerate/

denounce/

Y

[just as long as this condemnation/rejection/resistance/non-tolerance/denouncement doesn’t make us feel uncomfortable].”