# Sanewashing -- Originator? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411 "2024-10-03T14:48:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/1 "2024-10-03T14:48:27Z")
In the last couple-three weeks, I’ve seen the term sanewashing (sometimes hyphenated) used to discuss people interpreting the speeches of a certain politician.† Does anyone know who invented/first used this term? . † Please, no political discussion about the politician in question. There’re plenty of other threads for that. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/2 "2024-10-03T15:02:41Z")
I’ve been seeing the term on [fark.com](http://fark.com) for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if it originated there. In case you’re not aware, [fark.com](http://fark.com) is a news aggregation site where people post news links and make comments on them. Lots of people made comments about how the media would sanitize Trump’s blather to be more reasonable. Eventually, I saw people starting to use the term sanewashing in the comments, and then later in use the term in the descriptions of the news articles on the site. Reddit might be another possibility for the origin of the term. I don’t read political chat there, so I’m not sure about that. But it has a similar audience as [fark.com](http://fark.com), so I could see them coming up with it as well. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/3 "2024-10-04T04:14:10Z")
Well, that was a lot of response… OK, so I guess no one has any idea except @filmore. So I’m going to hijack my own thread (that’s allowed, isn’t it?) and ask What are the different ways the _-wash_ suffix has been used? It originated as **whitewash** , meaning to hide unpleasant details as if under a coat of paint. I’ve also seen **greenwash** and **sportswash**. Now we have **sanewash**. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen others, but they don’t come to mind at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/4 "2024-10-04T04:17:57Z")
I wanted to call it sane-itizing, but nobody listens to me. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/5 "2024-10-04T06:24:16Z")
Brainwash. Plenty of other words where _-wash_ means a coating or cleaning substance like the the noun _whitewash_. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/6 "2024-10-04T06:30:28Z")
But the meaning of a literal coating is not what I’m looking for. Rather I’m looking for the metaphorical coating, as in the examples I gave. _Brainwash_ is metaphorical, but in a different sense, so I guess I’ll take it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/7 "2024-10-04T07:14:31Z")
Yeah, it might be splitting hairs, but I think brainwashing implies a permeation of the brain by prolonged or aggressive immersion. Like you’ve had your brain washed and rinsed and all the normal stuff has been drained away. Whitewashing, greenwashing, etc seem to imply a superficial coating or covering of something, concealing its true and contrary nature that is still there. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/8 "2024-10-04T07:29:51Z")
So, without the sanewashing it would just remain hogwash? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/9 "2024-10-04T08:04:36Z")
I’ve seen a claim\*–I don’t know how accurate–that it originated with [this Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/neoliberal/comments/js84tu/how_did_defund_the_police_stop_meaning_defund_the/) from 2020. \*On Twitter, [the author](https://x.com/inverseflorida) of said post says: > I invented the term “sanewashing”. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/10 "2024-10-04T08:40:50Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > What are the different ways the _-wash_ suffix has been used? There’s “pinkwash”. Used by far-left gay/lesbian groups when they criticize Israel. (In Gaza being gay is totally unacceptable socially, is illegal, and can get you killed. Israel recognizes full gay rights. So when somebody from the “Queers for Palestine” is accused of being hypocritical, they scream “pinkwashing”.) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/11 "2024-10-04T08:49:40Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > There’s “pinkwash”. > Used by far-left gay/lesbian groups when they criticize Israel. Come again? I understand “pinkwashing” to be when corporations attempt to pander to LGBT consumers by putting rainbows in their logos during June or paying lip service to gay rights when they have a history or internal culture of treating gay employees badly. > **[Pinkwashing (LGBT)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkwashing_(LGBT))** > > Pinkwashing, also known as rainbow-washing, is the strategy of deploying messages that are superficially sympathetic towards the LGBTQ community for ends having little or nothing to do with LGBTQ equality or inclusion, including LGBT marketing. > In April 2010, Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT) in the Bay Area, used the phrase pinkwashing as a twist on greenwashing, a practice where companies claim to be eco-friendly in order to make profit. Dunya Alwan was at a talk with Ali Abunimah... ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/12 "2024-10-04T10:29:44Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I’ve seen a claim\*–I don’t know how accurate–that it originated with [this Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/neoliberal/comments/js84tu/how_did_defund_the_police_stop_meaning_defund_the/) from 2020. That actually looks quite likely. I haven’t read the entire thing, but the fact that an extensive explanation of the term is made contributes to that likelihood. Also, interesting is that it wasn’t about the speeches the term is usually used for today. In fact, I’ve never before seen the term used for anything else but explanations of those speeches. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/13 "2024-10-04T10:35:57Z")
It’s also possible that it was invented multiple times, by multiple people, as an extension of words like “greenwashing”. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/14 "2024-10-04T10:48:48Z")
Yes. Several attribute its introduction to a wider audience (exactly a month ago), in the current context of he-whom-the-OP-has-deemed-shall-remain-nameless, to Patrick Molloy of _The New Republic_, but in a quick search I haven’t found much to corroborate that: > **[The Media’s Demented Policy Illiteracy](https://newrepublic.com/post/185962/media-policy-illiteracy-2024-election)** > > The press has been feverishly demanding more and more wonky details about the presidential candidates’ proposals. If only they could understand them! ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/15 "2024-10-04T11:04:01Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > in the current context of he-whom-the-OP-has-deemed-shall-remain-nameless, If you name him, he’ll show up and give a speech that someone will have to sanewash for us to understand. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/16 "2024-10-04T11:09:41Z")
Hah!! ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/17 "2024-10-04T11:11:46Z")
I don’t know who invented the word “sanewashing”, but I really feel that it should be the winner of “Word of the Year” prize. It’s a pretty important accomplishment: Adding a new word to the English language , to express a new concept which was previously unknown but is a now necessary to describe an important aspect of our society. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/18 "2024-10-04T12:12:43Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@JKellyMap](#): > > > > in the current context of he-whom-the-OP-has-deemed-shall-remain-nameless, > > If you name him, he’ll show up and give a speech that someone will have to sanewash for us to understand. I don’t know exactly how the automatic thread tagging works, but if you name him it’s likely the thread gets tagged with his name. And as the OP said, we’ve got enough of those already. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/19 "2024-10-04T12:25:16Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > But the meaning of a literal coating is not what I’m looking for. Rather I’m looking for the metaphorical coating, as in the examples I gave. _Brainwash_ is metaphorical, but in a different sense, so I guess I’ll take it. I’d think that either _brainwash_ or _whitewash_ were the first metaphorical uses of _-wash_. _Brainwash_ is based on a Chinese phrase something like _wash brain_ and meaning something like cleaning the brain of someone’s idea of unclean thoughts. _Whitewash_ is more along the lines of a coating to cover up undesirable language. You could follow along the lines of _whitewash_ with any color. The sense of _brainwash_ is rather unique to in my limited scope of wordery. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411/20 "2024-10-04T12:33:28Z")
I may be entirely wrong, but my perception is that “brainwashing” dates from the experience of Western prisoners of war in the Korean War (cf. _The Manchurian Candidate_). I don’t know what sort of concept was used for the process by which - say - Stalin’s show trial victims so seemingly willingly professed their guilt, or Nazi adherents parrotted assorted lies from the leadership. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanewashing-originator/1008411.md?page=2)