# Examples of right-wing rhetoric/word usage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 4, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635 "2012-09-04T13:24:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/21 "2012-09-04T21:02:11Z")
Lamestream media. A Palin favorite, meaning anybody who criticizes her or her buddies. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/22 "2012-09-04T21:08:53Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but I always shake my head ruefully when I hear one of them refer to the “Democrat party”. > > People like Michele Bachman and Sarah Palin seem to think this is a shrewd and clever critique or gotcha. To the non brain damaged it comes across as childish and petty. Democrat Party is so common that I, as a Democrat, still have trouble not using it (and say things like “my Democrat teacher”). I mean, I’m pretty liberal, I identify with the party, but I’ve heard it so often that it takes a conscious effort to not say the wrong one. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/23 "2012-09-04T21:44:10Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Democrat Party is so common that I, as a Democrat, still have trouble not using it (and say things like “my Democrat teacher”). I mean, I’m pretty liberal, I identify with the party, but I’ve heard it so often that it takes a conscious effort to not say the wrong one. And not only that, but it _sounds_ right. You’ve got “the Republican party,” why wouldn’t you also talk about “the Democrat party”? It sounds a little harsh to the ears, “The Democrats” is better, but people who think it’s some kind of stealth dig baffle this registered Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/24 "2012-09-04T21:45:18Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Lamestream media. A Palin favorite, meaning anybody who criticizes her or her buddies. You betcha! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/25 "2012-09-04T22:07:03Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > And not only that, but it _sounds_ right. You’ve got “the Republican party,” why wouldn’t you also talk about “the Democrat party”? It sounds a little harsh to the ears, “The Democrats” is better, but people who think it’s some kind of stealth dig baffle this registered Democrat. The one that gets me is things like “my Democratic friend.” To me it doesn’t sound like “My friend, who is a member of the Democratic Party”, it sounds like “My friend, who is decided by a majority vote of the people.” ---
**Author:** ![AlienVessels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@AlienVessels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlienVessels)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/26 "2012-09-04T22:12:47Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Lamestream media. A Palin favorite, meaning anybody who criticizes her or her buddies. Or even asks a gotcha question like “what newspaper do you read?” ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/27 "2012-09-04T22:28:14Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > And not only that, but it _sounds_ right. You’ve got “the Republican party,” why wouldn’t you also talk about “the Democrat party”? It sounds a little harsh to the ears, “The Democrats” is better, but people who think it’s some kind of stealth dig baffle this registered Democrat. It’s not a stealth dig. It’s a completely overt and deliberate “fuck you.” ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/28 "2012-09-04T22:35:32Z")
The one I was introduced to most recently was “Abstinence Based Sex Ed”. Umm, all sex ed that doesn’t woefully misinform the kids on the mechanics of the subject is “abstinence based”. What you have there is “Abstinence Emphasis Sex Ed”. I suppose the phrase makes sense if you think there’s a group of aborigines out there running a sex ed class. Last I checked, there wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/29 "2012-09-05T00:34:20Z")
“Pro-Life”, “Anti-Abortion”, and “Anti-Choice” are three different, though partially overlapping positions, and likewise, “Anti-Life”, “Pro-Abortion”, and “Pro-Choice” are three different positions. To pick a simple example, China’s single-child law, which mandates abortion for any subsequent pregnancies, might fairly be described as “pro-abortion”, but is considered reprehensible by the pro-life and pro-choice factions alike. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/30 "2012-09-05T00:47:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Pro-Life”, “Anti-Abortion”, and “Anti-Choice” are three different, though partially overlapping positions, and likewise, “Anti-Life”, “Pro-Abortion”, and “Pro-Choice” are three different positions. To pick a simple example, China’s single-child law, which mandates abortion for any subsequent pregnancies, might fairly be described as “pro-abortion”, but is considered reprehensible by the pro-life and pro-choice factions alike. What, you’re making these baby-murderers out to be moderates of some kind? I guess, if you consider both extremes, I guess they are. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/31 "2012-09-05T01:24:57Z")
I wasn’t aware I was making anyone out to be moderate, and I’m not sure which faction you’re referring to as “baby-murderers”. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/32 "2012-09-05T01:27:14Z")
Why, “pro-choicers,” of course. They’re moderates, when you show the full spectrum of abortion policies. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/33 "2012-09-05T01:31:48Z")
“We own the rights to use, and define, the following words: values, morals, responsibility, family, freedom, America.” ---
**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:** [September 5, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/34 "2012-09-05T02:27:49Z")
A pretty good list can be found in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=593910) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/35 "2012-09-05T03:51:05Z")
Family values. Code for anti-abortion, anti-gay, pro-guns, Christian nuttery and let’s all go back and live in the 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/36 "2012-09-05T09:18:46Z")
Lakoff explains the process of framing [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f9R9MtkpqM). Well worth a watch! ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/37 "2012-09-05T12:51:22Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but I always shake my head ruefully when I hear one of them refer to the “Democrat party”. > > People like Michele Bachman and Sarah Palin seem to think this is a shrewd and clever critique or gotcha. To the non brain damaged it comes across as childish and petty. As does “teabaggers.” ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/38 "2012-09-05T12:52:22Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Democrats do it also, although not nearly as well IMO. Yeah, they show no versatility or imagination. They just chant “racist sexist homophobe” over and over again. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/39 "2012-09-05T13:00:10Z")
“Climate change” was originally developed to sound less ominous than “global warming”. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635/40 "2012-09-05T13:44:16Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Yeah, they show no versatility or imagination. They just chant “racist sexist homophobe” over and over again. Which part of that would you care to deny? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-right-wing-rhetoric-word-usage/633635.md?page=3)