Although the term "hate speech" predates the DEI craze (it became a phrase used in the 1980s), it has certainly been used by DEI activists. It is a purposely vague and subjective phrase, used now by politicians, courts, and police to censor dissident views, such as legitimate criticism of mass migration or transgender ideology. "Hate speech" and "misinformation" are widely used to quash freedom of speech.
Your excellent post also reminds me of a recent video by Matt Walsh in which he analyzes the Orwellian language of public statements by the Multiple Sclerosis Society to justify its firing of an elderly lady for asking questions about pronouns. https://youtu.be/vfmYzQHNX3U?t=378
He notes these phrases they use:
- "continued conversation" means not a conversation at all; it means they dictate what you say and believe.
- "navigating a challenging issue" really means they are creating an issue in a deranged, morally abominable manner, then applauding themselves for their wisdom
- "inclusion" does not mean inclusion; it means rigid, ruthless exclusion of those guilty of wrongthink
Your post also reminds me of Janice Fiamengo's video on "lived experience."
Main points: the reality that women have opportunities for careers and are in every way equal to men in opportunities exists in tension with the popular feminist notion that patriarchy is to blame for all their ills. So how can patriarchy be blamed when women are not repressed by it? Feminists use the gynocentric jargon "lived experience" to wiggle out of this tension. They refer to "women's truth", which refers to their subjective experience of somehow being oppressed even in an egalitarian society. Feminists believe their "lived experience" provides more insight into the construction of power than that of men. In other words, if you are "marginalized" or "oppressed" -- which apparently all women are -- you know more than those who are not. Fiamengo says all these ideas are made-up theories, impossible to verify, and should have no place in serious sociological research.
Excerpt from Conclusion: "Political manipulation of language is employed to shape public opinion, control narratives, and advance agendas. Techniques include propaganda, euphemisms, spin, deceptive labeling, and doublespeak. Recognizing these tactics is crucial for independent thinking. George Orwell's "1984" provides examples of such manipulation. Obfuscating meaning leads to miscommunication, erodes trust, fragments shared reality, hinders critical thinking, and suppresses dissent. It undermines healthy discourse and must be countered with transparency and honest communication. The media's characterization of the 2020 BLM and Antifa protests as "mostly peaceful" despite the massive violence and damage was criticized for distorting reality (McLaughlin, 2020; Baker, 2023a) . . . Many academics align their views with far-left politicians; whereasthose of us who identify as “classical liberals” no longer trust the far-leftcollectivist and authoritarian views . . . The Stanford University (2023) ‘Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative’might be well-intentioned, but Stanford was swiftly criticized for suggesting the elimination of words like “American,” “immigrant,” and “grandfather. ” They first removedthe list from public view and then, weeks later, it was pulled from the website entirely (D’Agostino, 2023).
From the Glossary: allyship, cultural appropriation, empowerment, equality vs equity, implicit bias, intersectionality, marginalized communities, microaggressions, safe spaces, social justice, systemic oppression, systemic racism, whiteness, white privilege, white supremacy, white fragility.
Thanks for this excellent addition to the piece – especially 'Orwell's 1984 Revisited', which I've started reading with great interest. It reminds me, I should have mentioned his 'Politics and the English Language', which I'll link to in my top comment for those interested.
If you don’t agree women have been subjected to oppression for centuries (for FS, look at Afghanistan and Iran for real life contemporary examples), why do you think trans ideology came from?
Ditto lesbians and gay men - trans ideology is as anti homosexual as it is anti women. It’s the backlash.
It is a fact that America transported black people as slaves and that Jim Crow wasn’t obliterated by the 1960s civil rights movement.
Because idiots blew up George Floyd’s murder into things it did not mean doesn’t prove racism is no more.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience".
The eradication of belief in a higher power, God, from enlightened society has left a vacuum...Marxism/Socialism has rushed in to fill the void...all discussed above are the tangible markers of the invasion...traveling this road has never ended well...g.
What is the difference between old fashioned “experience” and “lived experience?” Don’t you have to be alive to experience something? Isn’t this phrase redundant? Seriously bothers me.
There is a Jewish exception to the “lived experience” rule.
Even Jesus’ lived experience, as a Hebrew-speaking Jew from Judea, which is undisputed historical fact, is not accepted or respected by the antizionist left or their jihadist allies.
Excellent essay.
“Disrupting implicit racial biases” is one I came across recently in a Wisconsin public schools document. The document also capitalized Whiteness.
Frederick Alexander, thank you for your great writing. What kind of world do we have today? It seems that you can’t speak without offending some people, group, community or other. You can’t question or even say what you see or what you feel. What kind of world is that? If you dare to say what you really think about a subject, you might get hit with a label.
Which phrases did I miss?
Here’s a link to Orwell’s 'Politics and the English Language', which remains the essential guide to how language is used to corrupt thought:
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/
Although the term "hate speech" predates the DEI craze (it became a phrase used in the 1980s), it has certainly been used by DEI activists. It is a purposely vague and subjective phrase, used now by politicians, courts, and police to censor dissident views, such as legitimate criticism of mass migration or transgender ideology. "Hate speech" and "misinformation" are widely used to quash freedom of speech.
Your excellent post also reminds me of a recent video by Matt Walsh in which he analyzes the Orwellian language of public statements by the Multiple Sclerosis Society to justify its firing of an elderly lady for asking questions about pronouns. https://youtu.be/vfmYzQHNX3U?t=378
He notes these phrases they use:
- "continued conversation" means not a conversation at all; it means they dictate what you say and believe.
- "navigating a challenging issue" really means they are creating an issue in a deranged, morally abominable manner, then applauding themselves for their wisdom
- "inclusion" does not mean inclusion; it means rigid, ruthless exclusion of those guilty of wrongthink
Your post also reminds me of Janice Fiamengo's video on "lived experience."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ta6RrfQ2ig
Main points: the reality that women have opportunities for careers and are in every way equal to men in opportunities exists in tension with the popular feminist notion that patriarchy is to blame for all their ills. So how can patriarchy be blamed when women are not repressed by it? Feminists use the gynocentric jargon "lived experience" to wiggle out of this tension. They refer to "women's truth", which refers to their subjective experience of somehow being oppressed even in an egalitarian society. Feminists believe their "lived experience" provides more insight into the construction of power than that of men. In other words, if you are "marginalized" or "oppressed" -- which apparently all women are -- you know more than those who are not. Fiamengo says all these ideas are made-up theories, impossible to verify, and should have no place in serious sociological research.
Lastly, your article reminds me of Orwell's concept of Newspeak. There is a scholarly article on how it corresponds to woke jargon: "Orwell's 1984 Revisited: Woke Vocabulary And Uncivil Discourse" https://journals.klalliance.org/index.php/JKMP/article/view/205/200
Excerpt from Conclusion: "Political manipulation of language is employed to shape public opinion, control narratives, and advance agendas. Techniques include propaganda, euphemisms, spin, deceptive labeling, and doublespeak. Recognizing these tactics is crucial for independent thinking. George Orwell's "1984" provides examples of such manipulation. Obfuscating meaning leads to miscommunication, erodes trust, fragments shared reality, hinders critical thinking, and suppresses dissent. It undermines healthy discourse and must be countered with transparency and honest communication. The media's characterization of the 2020 BLM and Antifa protests as "mostly peaceful" despite the massive violence and damage was criticized for distorting reality (McLaughlin, 2020; Baker, 2023a) . . . Many academics align their views with far-left politicians; whereasthose of us who identify as “classical liberals” no longer trust the far-leftcollectivist and authoritarian views . . . The Stanford University (2023) ‘Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative’might be well-intentioned, but Stanford was swiftly criticized for suggesting the elimination of words like “American,” “immigrant,” and “grandfather. ” They first removedthe list from public view and then, weeks later, it was pulled from the website entirely (D’Agostino, 2023).
From the Glossary: allyship, cultural appropriation, empowerment, equality vs equity, implicit bias, intersectionality, marginalized communities, microaggressions, safe spaces, social justice, systemic oppression, systemic racism, whiteness, white privilege, white supremacy, white fragility.
Thanks for this excellent addition to the piece – especially 'Orwell's 1984 Revisited', which I've started reading with great interest. It reminds me, I should have mentioned his 'Politics and the English Language', which I'll link to in my top comment for those interested.
Classic throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
If you don’t agree women have been subjected to oppression for centuries (for FS, look at Afghanistan and Iran for real life contemporary examples), why do you think trans ideology came from?
Ditto lesbians and gay men - trans ideology is as anti homosexual as it is anti women. It’s the backlash.
It is a fact that America transported black people as slaves and that Jim Crow wasn’t obliterated by the 1960s civil rights movement.
Because idiots blew up George Floyd’s murder into things it did not mean doesn’t prove racism is no more.
You didn't miss anything. This is a brlliant, excoriating piece. THANK YOU!
Thanks!
I dont know but I really need a safe space from your hateful article. :)
I would say you get it. And whenever anyone uses one of those phrases in my company, watch me walk away.
I don't know if it belongs in this list, but I've always been fond of, "It's for your own good."
Nothing screams condescending totalitarianism like our 'leaders' forcing us to do their will, and telling us it's our fault if we resist.
Absolutely. I always think of the CS Lewis line:
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience".
The eradication of belief in a higher power, God, from enlightened society has left a vacuum...Marxism/Socialism has rushed in to fill the void...all discussed above are the tangible markers of the invasion...traveling this road has never ended well...g.
Yep, I get into the Marxism stuff here if you're interested: https://www.gadflynotes.com/p/why-marxism-wont-die
Don't forget: "Do the work!"
A classic!
What is the difference between old fashioned “experience” and “lived experience?” Don’t you have to be alive to experience something? Isn’t this phrase redundant? Seriously bothers me.
There is a Jewish exception to the “lived experience” rule.
Even Jesus’ lived experience, as a Hebrew-speaking Jew from Judea, which is undisputed historical fact, is not accepted or respected by the antizionist left or their jihadist allies.
Excellent essay.
“Disrupting implicit racial biases” is one I came across recently in a Wisconsin public schools document. The document also capitalized Whiteness.
Yes, the Jewish exception – so true. Thanks for reading.
Frederick Alexander, thank you for your great writing. What kind of world do we have today? It seems that you can’t speak without offending some people, group, community or other. You can’t question or even say what you see or what you feel. What kind of world is that? If you dare to say what you really think about a subject, you might get hit with a label.
I like what you write and I appreciate!
Thanks, Patricia – much appreciated!