# Attention: Any EARNEST use in political discussion of the following terms brands the user an idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381 "2011-01-20T21:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/21 "2011-01-21T00:27:01Z")
“Evilution” ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/22 "2011-01-21T00:38:53Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > It doesn’t come up much anymore now, but a couple of years ago, any use of the name “Shrub” got me all rolly-eyed. Yes. ‘Shrub’ was the dumbest nickname ever. I don’t like George Bush, there are a ton of derogatory things you could call him that mean something, but Shrub? Ugh. For my own contribution, “rammed (whatever) down our throats.” Also, if you unironically use the term ‘sheeple’ you are _exactly_ the thing you think you’re calling the other person. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/23 "2011-01-21T00:59:48Z")
lamestream media ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/24 "2011-01-21T01:13:46Z")
> [@Terraplane](#): > > For my own contribution, “rammed (whatever) down our throats.” I dunno, maybe we should agree to keep that one, the visual imagery is even richer than “Teabaggers.” ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/25 "2011-01-21T01:19:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I live in Florida and I’ve never heard anyone say, “Here in the Confederacy . . .” Of course not, it’s a term of opprobrium when used by non-Southerners (self-branded idiot non-Southerners) to refer to the modern South. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/26 "2011-01-21T01:27:12Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > You left off “socialist.” > > (Unless you’re including it as an understood variation of “Democrats.” :D) _Bernie Sanders is a socialist._ In what way is that idiotic? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/27 "2011-01-21T01:31:52Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > _Bernie Sanders is a socialist._ > > In what way is that idiotic? _Barack Obama is a socialist._ In what way is that not idiotic? Bernie is, in fact, a socialist. Obama is, in fact, not. See the difference? It would be just as idiotic for me to declare that Scott Brown is a teapartier. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/28 "2011-01-21T02:02:33Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I dunno, maybe we should agree to keep that one, the visual imagery is even richer than “Teabaggers.” I do think it’s funny and I kinda hope they don’t stop, but I think it fits the OP. Anybody that says that (about something political) seriously is an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/29 "2011-01-21T02:17:50Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > More like, “Down there in the Confederacy…” [shrug] Never heard anyone use it that way either, and I spent a lot of years up North, and among liberals and LW radicals. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/30 "2011-01-21T02:19:25Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > _Bernie Sanders is a socialist._ > > In what way is that idiotic? It is not, but, see post #16. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/31 "2011-01-21T02:27:28Z")
How about just calling people what they want to be called, and eschewing the name-calling altogether? That means no more use of ‘TeaBagger’. Yes, I know that some tea party group somewhere used the term for themselves before they knew what it meant. But it’s also clear that almost all tea party members find the term derogatory and offensive. Therefore, continued use of it is just as obnoxious as ‘Rethuglican’ or ‘Dhimmicrat’. And frankly, whenever I hear someone use it I degrade my estimation of their reasonableness or willingness to engage in serious dialog by a large amount. You might as well stick a label on your head that says, “I don’t like you and I’m not going to listen to anything you have to say.” ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/32 "2011-01-21T02:33:48Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > How about just calling people what they want to be called, and eschewing the name-calling altogether? Well, for starters, you’d have to stop calling non-libertarians “statists”. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/33 "2011-01-21T02:48:16Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > There are many who are pro-choice who are anti-abortion. So just go with pro-life and pro-choice, since those are what each group uses for themselves. How can you be pro-choice if you are anti one of the choices? Pro-some-choices? I don’t use pro-life for the anti-abortionists since they are not actually pro life. Forced birthers might be a more descriptive term. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/34 "2011-01-21T02:53:21Z")
“Birther” is taken. Forced or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/35 "2011-01-21T02:58:36Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > “Birther” is taken. Forced or otherwise. Forced birther was around first, and will be needed long after Obama is out of office, since it doesn’t look like they are going to take their noses out of other peoples business any time soon. However, is “pro forced birth” better? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/36 "2011-01-21T03:26:44Z")
So, [people on the left](http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/obamacare/) can use “Obamacare”, but not on the right? What if you not on the left or the right? I don’t see any problem with using that as shorthand for the Health Care Reform Bill/Law. And speaking of branding yourself a partisan hack, if not an idiot, it’s odd that the OP could only come up with 3 “idiot” terms used by the left. Actually, it’s only 1, since they were all variations on the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/37 "2011-01-21T03:40:03Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > “Birther” is taken. Forced or otherwise. Birthist. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/38 "2011-01-21T04:30:23Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > How can you be pro-choice if you are anti one of the choices? Pro-some-choices? > > I don’t use pro-life for the anti-abortionists since they are not actually pro life. Forced birthers might be a more descriptive term. Pro-choice basically means supporting someone’s choice – despite disagreeing with it. You can be against abortion – you can feel it’s wrong – but still feel that women should have the right to choose it. Pro-choice doesn’t necessarily mean “pro-abortion” either. For example, if a woman doesn’t want an abortion, people shouldn’t criticize her choice. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/39 "2011-01-21T05:08:32Z")
Must it be in earnest? Is that important? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/40 "2011-01-21T06:35:48Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > How about just calling people what they want to be called, and eschewing the name-calling altogether? I know you’re proud to be a Canadian and all, but there’s such a thing as being **too** polite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381.md?page=3)