# 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:** 4
**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, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/61 "2011-01-21T14:27:49Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Oh, if only the OP could have created a thread in which you yourself could have added other relevant terms to the list…too late now, I guess… Good job missing the point. The OP basically says: Righties: Bite your tongues. Lefties: Have at it! That’s the position he staked out, and the one I commented on. ---
**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, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/62 "2011-01-21T14:56:50Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Oh, look how BobLibDem takes a thread about being civil . . . This thread is **not** about being civil. It is about fighting idiocy, which is a much tougher and more persistent thing than ignorance, and must be approached in a stomp-on-the-testicles-with-both-feet-repeatedly manner. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/63 "2011-01-21T14:57:53Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Oh, look how BobLibDem takes a thread about being civil and turns it into a way to smear his opponents. It’s so cute. Meh. There are no libertarian governments on the planet and there will never be any libertarian governments on the planet, yet some on this board people view libertarianism as an idea with any merit whatsoever. THAT’S so cute. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/64 "2011-01-21T15:02:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Good job missing the point. The OP basically says: > > Righties: Bite your tongues. > > Lefties: Have at it! > > That’s the position he staked out, and the one I commented on. Your argument is negated, and mine supported, by the last line of the OP: > [@](#): > > Anything I forgot to list? That seems like a clear invitation to add your own. **BG** may have had a failure of imagination on right-wing-directed insults but did openly ask people to correct this. ---
**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, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/65 "2011-01-21T15:24:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Good job missing the point. The OP basically says: > > Righties: Bite your tongues. > > Lefties: Have at it! > > That’s the position he staked out, and the one I commented on. See post #62. It is an objectively true fact, to the extent such thing can exist in political discourse, that the RW has largely (never entirely) cornered the market on terminological/rhetorical idiocy/dishonesty over the past 20 years. That is not my fault, and not the LW’s fault – and very definitely not an accident, either. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/66 "2011-01-21T15:25:57Z")
I think “gun nut” goes on the list, as do variants on libertarian (glibertarian, schmibertarian, loonietarian) ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/67 "2011-01-21T15:33:36Z")
“Shoved down the throat”. :rolleyes: I would almost nominate “Regime”. It seems like it is always used in a pejorative way in political conversation, from either side. But it is still a useful word in many contexts, so maybe it gets a pass. I’ll hear 5 minutes of AM radio on my lunch break, so I can come back with like 30 more if you need. ---
**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, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/68 "2011-01-21T16:17:08Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > _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. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It is not, but, see post #16. > [@BrainGlutton in post 16](#): > > I was trying to omit any term that has legitimate non-idiotic uses. > > However, in the U.S. at present, if you see the word “socialist” used by, or of, anyone other than a self-ID’d socialist, it is probably being used idiotically. Right. I guess I thought the purpose of the thread was to list _per se_ idiotic terms. If we’re expanding to list idiocies _as applied to particular situations_, we could be here a while. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/69 "2011-01-21T16:19:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Good job missing the point. The OP basically says: > > Righties: Bite your tongues. > > Lefties: Have at it! > > That’s the position he staked out, and the one I commented on. You’ve utterly misinterpreted the point of the thread. A number of euphemistic terms for right-leaning people have been added to the list without complaint. You are free to do so as well. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/70 "2011-01-21T16:23:08Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > You’ve utterly misinterpreted the point of the thread. A number of \*\*euphemistic \*\*terms for right-leaning people have been added to the list without complaint. You are free to do so as well. I trust you mean “[dysphemistic](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dysphemism)”. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/71 "2011-01-21T16:47:57Z")
“States’ Rights.” There’s only one acceptable use of that, and it is “States’ rights don’t exist. States have powers not rights.” ---
**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, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/72 "2011-01-21T17:20:06Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > You’ve utterly misinterpreted the point of the thread. A number of euphemistic terms for right-leaning people have been added to the list without complaint. You are free to do so as well. I wasn’t commenting on the “point of the thread”. I was commenting on what the OP chose for his list. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/73 "2011-01-21T17:47:16Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > “Islamofascist” brands the speaker as a moron and a bigot. Ditto “Ground Zero Mosque”. As a slight hijack, how exactly _are_ the daily talking points and buzzwords distributed? _The Daily Show_ frequently runs clip montages of Republican politicians, pundits, “news” anchors, and… whatever the hell Sarah Palin is classified as, nowadays… repeating completely identical words and phrases, e.g., “rammed down our throats.” There’s no way it’s a coincidence, but how is it happening? Is there a daily email distribution list? Morning briefing where Michael Steele (now Reince Priebus) makes a bulleted list on a chalkboard and growls “let’s be careful out there”? Secret code (let’s say 666#) on every Republican’s TV remote that summons a Max-Headroomlike avatar of Ronald Reagan, who presents the quotidian propaganda points in a folksy Speak & Spell voice? Whatever it is, it sure as hell is efficient. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/74 "2011-01-21T17:50:38Z")
It seems perfectly reasonable that a liberal like BrainGlutton would come up with a lot more idiocy from the right wing than idiocy from the left wing. It would only be unreasonable if his examples of right wing terms weren’t actually diagnostic of idiocy. It seems to me that all his examples are valid. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/75 "2011-01-21T17:51:17Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Sorry, **BLD** , but I’m adding “Chimpy” to the list, right next to “Shrub” (unless we’re listing them alphabetically of course). I had no love for the man but there was enough to criticize without resorting to cheap namecalling. “Chimpy” is a disgusting and ignorant term, as it’s a personal appearance slur (like “Monkey Boy”, “Chimp-in-Chief”, etc.), but “Shrub” IIRC was used not only by Bush’s friends long before he was President, but by Bush Senior himself to describe his son. ---
**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, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/76 "2011-01-21T18:15:20Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > This thread is **not** about being civil. For my feelings on **that,** see [this new GD thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=594014) ---
**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, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/77 "2011-01-21T18:16:59Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > “Chimpy” is a disgusting and ignorant term, as it’s a personal appearance slur (like “Monkey Boy”, “Chimp-in-Chief”, etc.), but “Shrub” IIRC was used not only by Bush’s friends long before he was President, but by Bush Senior himself to describe his son. I remember a George Carlin routine, from the start of Bush I’s term, about how amused the earthy Russians (still the elephant in the room, then) were going to be when they found out our new president had a name meaning “crotch hair.” (Wonder if they ever **did** find out.) ---
**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, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/78 "2011-01-21T18:19:30Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > As a slight hijack, how exactly _are_ the daily talking points and buzzwords distributed? _The Daily Show_ frequently runs clip montages of Republican politicians, pundits, “news” anchors, and… whatever the hell Sarah Palin is classified as, nowadays… repeating completely identical words and phrases, e.g., “rammed down our throats.” > > There’s no way it’s a coincidence, but how is it happening? Is there a daily email distribution list? Morning briefing where Michael Steele (now Reince Priebus) makes a bulleted list on a chalkboard and growls “let’s be careful out there”? Secret code (let’s say 666#) on every Republican’s TV remote that summons a Max-Headroomlike avatar of Ronald Reagan, who presents the quotidian propaganda points in a folksy Speak & Spell voice? Whatever it is, it sure as hell is efficient. Actually, there has been a lot of reporting on how that works. See [here](http://www.thenation.com/article/new-right-wing-smear-machine) to start with. Also [here.](http://www.amazon.com/Republican-Noise-Machine-Right-Wing-Democracy/dp/0307236897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295633952&sr=1-1) ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/79 "2011-01-21T18:23:06Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > “Chimpy” is a disgusting and ignorant term, as it’s a personal appearance slur I’d call it sophomoric, like calling the current President Jugears or something, but hardly disgusting. ---
**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, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-any-earnest-use-in-political-discussion-of-the-following-terms-brands-the-user-an-idiot/568381/80 "2011-01-21T18:27:44Z")
Jane Goodall would be offended, she rather likes chimps. [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=3) [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=5)