"If 'goblin mode' and 'techlash' sounds like gibberish, you've come to the right place."
Kate Brennan
We are inundated with information and knowledge these days. Some new information may be helpful but some, perhaps not so much. The media, politicians, and activists create new buzzwords to paint their target into a corner and stigmatize them with a label. This puts the recipient of the concocted abuse
on defense. That is the way, so how does one respond?
Initially, this was a short list to illustrate my point. However, the list grows longer the more I delve into this subject. Let's look at the definitions of some buzzwords that have been around for a while.
Racist: The theory that certain human traits are superior to another particular race. An example is skin color.
Systemic Racism: The oppression of a racial group to the advantage of another as perpetuated by inequity within interconnected systems (such as political, economic, and social systems)1
Jim Crow: Relating to the segregation of black people resulting in third-rate facilities separate from whites, such as restrooms, lunch counters, and schools. Later versions of Jim Crow legislation required "separate but equal" accommodations.
Misogynist: One who shows hatred or prejudice toward women. Usually, a man.
Uncle Tom: A disrespectful label for a Black person who seeks to gain approval from whites for white values and goals.
Preferred pronouns: The pronoun that a person chooses to be used when they are referred to indicate their gender identity Ashley's preferred pronouns are 'they' and 'them'2
Pro-Life: adjective, Advocating the legal protection of human Embryos and fetuses, especially by favoring the outlawing of abortion because it is the taking of human life.3
Pro-Choice: Generally, people who identify as pro-choice believe everyone has the fundamental human right to decide when and whether to have children. When you say you're pro-choice, you're telling people that you think it's OK for them to have the ability to choose abortion as an option for an unplanned pregnancy — even if you wouldn't choose abortion for yourself.4
MAGA: "Trump's trademark Make America Great Again 2016 campaign slogan." 5
QAnon: In October 2017, an anonymous user named "Q Clearance Patriot" began posting conspiracy theories on the seedy message board 4chan — with the messages now appearing on 8kun, a rebranded version of the shuttered 8chan message board.
"Q" claims to have insider knowledge of the Trump administration and touts the the theory that the president is waging a secret war against a global conspiracy of pedophile elites that include an array of Hollywood actors and Democratic politicians who allegedly worship Satan.
Transgender: "A healthcare professional usually assigns newborns either a male or female sex at birth. If people identify with a different gender to the one they were assigned, they may describe themselves as transgender. A transgender woman is someone who is currently living as a woman but was assigned male sex at birth. A transgender man currently lives as a man but was assigned female sex at birth." 6
Gaslighting: "The Merriam-Webster word of the year, gaslighting refers to psychologically manipulating or grossly misleading someone, especially for one's advantage. The word derives its origins from Patrick Hamilton's Victorian-era play (and later, the Oscar-nominated 1944 film "Gaslight" starring Ingrid Bergman) about a marriage based on lies and deceit, in which the lead character seeks to convince his wife that she is going insane — including by saying she imagines the dimming of the gas light in their home. According to Merriam-Webster, searches for the word on its website have spiked by 1,740%." 7
Most of us are wise enough to avoid the two dangerous discussions you cannot win, religion and politics. Let's say that you find yourself in a political debate and are labeled with the stigma of racism or a systemic racist. I am going out on a limb and saying your accuser does not know the definition of a racist. Lefties throw these labels around to put you on the defensive.
The accused is often afraid to offend, so they back off, and the discussion goes south. Ask your accuser what they mean. What is the basis for calling you this name? Hold them to a tight definition to prove you are what they claim. This puts them on the defensive. This type of defense is a subtle offense. The hapless accuser is left wanting because they have not been challenged like this before. Joe Biden calls half the voters,
"Ultra MAGA" Republicans. "It's a MAGA agenda, all right. Let me tell you about this ultra-MAGA agenda – it's extreme, as most MAGA things are," Biden said from the
White House, referencing Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.8
My response to this type of slander is, what does MAGA stand for? If your opponent refuses to answer or does not know what the term means, tell him, "Make America Great Again." Then ask, Why is that bad? A rule of thumb here is "He who talks first loses." Let your accuser answer. Do not save him. Let him make a fool of himself.
What are the activists trying to accomplish with preferred pronouns? They have assumed a person has been able to change their gender and now wishes to be called by their assumed identity. Logic would dictate that if you were able to change your gender, let's say from male to female, you would want to be referred to as she, her, Ms., or something feminine. We can also be informed they want to be referred to with something illogical like "they" or "them." This ploy is used to confuse ordinary people or refuse to admit that there are only two genders, male and female. Ask them to check out the way the world works. Are the cows, pigs, and horses hanging out with trangenders, or are they just part of the normal order of nature?
1 Systemic racism, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/systemic%20racism
2 Preferred pronoun, noun, Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, June 8, 2023, https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/preferred-pronoun
3 Pro-life, By Farlex, The Free Dictionary, https://www.thefreedictionary.com/PRO-Life
4Can you explain what pro-choice means and pro-life means? Miriam @PlannedParenthood, Planned Parenthood, October 16, 2019, https://www.plannedparenthood.org/blog/can-you-explain-what-pro-choice-means-and-pro-life-means-im-supposed-to-do-it-for-a-class-thanks
5 Jon Greenberg, What is a MAGA Republican?, PolitiFact, September 21, 2022, https://www.politifact.com/article/2022/sep/21/what-maga-republican/
6 Francis Kuehnele, MSN, Medically reviewed by, RN-BC By Beth Sissons What does transgender mean? , September 24, 2021, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-is-transgender
7 Kate Brennan, The Pocket Dictionary of Buzzwords: 2022 Edition 2022, The Story Exchange, December 19, 2022https://thestoryexchange.org/the-pocket-dictionary-of-buzzwords-2022-edition/,
8Kate Sullivan, Biden goes after the 'ultra-MAGA agenda' as he sharpens his midterm message. CNN Politics, Wednesday, May 4, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/04/politics/biden-ultra-maga-midterms/index.html
Comentários