Words They Avoid

 

The far Right and its conservative Trump Republicans, being conservative Trump Republicans, are easily identified by their rhetoric. Their words of resentment, anger, blame, and hatred loudly convey lies, racism, and outright delusional extremism. 

Conversely they are also identifiable by their avoidance of certain words, terms and phrases.

There are some significant words that are nearly totally absent from their vocabulary. Many are clearly excluded from Trump’s boast, “I have the best words”. I’m trying in vain to recall the times I’ve seen or heard certain words and terms from the far Right.

We’ve certainly seen their reactions when others mention their forbidden words.

Let’s review some of the least mentioned words, terms, and phrases from the far Right conservative Trump Republicans.

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Democracy: The first to spring up is democracy. “Democracy” is the unspoken name of their most feared demon and mortal enemy. They show us every day how little use they have for that word. “America isn’t a democracy! The Founders said it was dangerous!” 

Equality: Equality is the second rarest word in the cult bubble of the radical Right. They want none of that. “Who sez them gays, Mexicans, Muslims, and urban Blacks are EQUAL to us rural whites?? Not in MY Amerka!”

Progress. “Can’t have that. Sounds too progressive.”

Community. “Nope, because Communism.”

Social Security. (Mentioned only to dismantle or privatize.)

Social Justice. “More Communism. Look! Rioters!”

Social Responsibility. “That’s as commie as social justice. Socialist losers wear masks.”

Personal Responsibility. (Pre-covid self-righteousness.) “Masks violate our rights! Let’s party at the bar, gather at church the next day, and take the whole family to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving.”

Society. “No such thing. Another commie notion.”

Unity: “Unity is for losers, not tough loners who built America all by themselves.”

Pollution/Polluters. “Quick, look over there! Antifa!”

Truth. “Alternative facts” are preferred. As Giuliani said “Truth isn’t truth”.

Evidence. “Schmevidence.”

Documentation. “Fake news!”

Journalism. “Enemy of the people”.

Global Warming. “Sunspots. Fake science. Not MY problem.”

Scientific Consensus. “Non-existent.” "Needs more study." (Or whatever fossil energy corporations pay for.)

White Collar Crime. “Look over there! BLM Looters!”

The Right to Vote. “A threat to our power. Our duty is to obstruct and deny this for minorities.”

Police Brutality. “Extremely rare.” And, “Bad cops are always punished fairly.”

Institutional Racism. “BLM are the real racists.”

White Nationalism. “No such thing!" "I am a Western Chauvinist, and I refuse to apologize for creating the modern world.”*

American Bar Association Qualified Judges. “Corporate-friendly, political and theocratic correctness only. Ideological purity is all that matters”.

Higher Education. “Marxist indoctrination!”

Medicare. “Commie free stuff.”

The Right to Public Healthcare: “Insurance company profits matter more than the people’s health.”

The Right to Public Education: “More commie brainwashing. Corporate charter schools or religious education only.”

Everything Jesus said about the rich, paying taxes, loving your neighbor, and giving to the poor. “Jesus sent Trump to save America! If you don’t vote for Trump, you’re not a Christain!”

Constitutional taxes, regulation of commerce, and provision for the general welfare. “It’s all Communism! Not in MY Second Amendment Only Constitution.”

Last but not least, Compassion. This is a theme that is obviously connected to too many of those other words to be avoided above. 

* White Nationalist “Proud Boys” initiation oath.

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Good faith dialogue and compromise are shut down because these terms are ignored. When not ignored, they are arrogantly re-defined to conform to their radical Right bias.

They bought the Big Lie and believed their Big MAGAt when he said, “Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what's happening.” 

The Big MAGAt became Big Brother, as predicted by George Orwell in “1984”:  “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command...And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth.”

How could anyone possibly reason with them? Are we under an Orwellian curse? “The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.”

Can a semblance of conservative ethics and honesty ever be restored? Or have these values been permanently sacrificed at the altar of the Trump Cult?

Orwell grimly concluded, "A generation of the unteachable is hanging upon us like a necklace of corpses."

He understood the destruction of language is a powerful propaganda tactic and method of control by a dictatorship. In 1984, O’Brien of the Thought Police explains to Winston Smith between torture sessions, “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words...Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?”

“Narrow the range of thought.” 

This seems to summarize the creed and operating principle of the far Right and its conservative Trump Republicans.

Credit is due. A vast gullible cult proves they have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations.