24 Comments
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Alan Hodge's avatar

Excellent, but help me understand equity’s definition?

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Nobody knows what that means. Not even the Democrats. It means everything and nothing. Very existentialist of them.

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RK's avatar

So there’s this neat little tool called Bullshit.js, which you can add to your browser’s bookmarks bar. When you invoke it, Bullshit will highlight all the marketing-style gibberish in the text of whatever site you’re viewing.

Maybe someone should make a version for this kind of political bullshit.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

Great read as always...I'm rereading (i.e. 'processing') Glenn Diesen's great work Russophobia and a great deal of his introductory chapters are the discussion of 'propaganda' of which language is a critical component and your dictionary nailed it. Iow it's the tool with which the narrative is controlled. Narrative control has been bantered about much recently and how the DC establishment controls it while sacrificing reality....Narrative = language = propaganda

At the risk of being off topic (you know me) and catching up from not posting here in a while. Feedback from the Nutcracker (1 Dec)...It was like the ballet academy associated with the local northern Virginia school children was the back-drop for the company of professional dancers who had all the critical parts and talent. Sister/free-lance ballet critic has told me this is often done....What was interesting is how most of the stars were Ukrainian?!? Sister also told me she's seeing another ballet in spring also a Ukrainian company....we're going to compare the casts and see if they're the same.....I can't help but drawing the obvious conclusion that these talented artists are here for more than just expanding their performance venues and sight-seeing in the states...

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Well, those Ukrainians that made it over here have to make a living somehow. Why not ballet? They're probably great at it.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

Yes, not certain if they're permanent residents or just on tour....But back to the narrative control....As Diesen explains, propaganda is only effective if it is seamless (i.e., one doesn't know they're being targeted by propaganda)......It is language /the 'dictionary' that is the vehicle through which propaganda operates and becomes part of the subconscious.

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Mark Taylor's avatar

How about official Democratic Party definitions for:

Integrity

Working class

Labor Unions

Peace

War

Presidential pardon

National security

I ask, OB, because I know what those words mean in the real world, but when Democrats use them they make no sense. Surely, I must be missing something. It must be my fault because as Kamala's campaign proved, Democrats never make a mistake. Right?

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

All right, thanks! I kind of ran into a creative wall. I'll do a Part II and include those. Presidential pardon's a new one. I remember what they said about Ford pardoning Nixon, and it wasn't anything like what they're saying now.

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Mark Taylor's avatar

You did see that the Democrats have changed the spelling of 'justice', right? "Just-Us"

Are you following the story on the shooting of the health insurance exec --- who had pushed a new AI program to overrule physicians' recommendations in order to deny care There were three words carved into the bullet casings on the sidewalk: Delay, Deny, Defend.

The three words bear a striking resemblance to Jay Feinman’s 10 book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-ceo-bullets-words-engraved-b2659262.html

The peasants are getting restless. Time to sharpen the pitchforks and fire up the torches.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Yes. The headlines or lack thereof were interesting. AP, UPI, CNN, BBC, all the American ones had the assassinated asshole story front and center.

RT, Al-Jazeera, France 24... not a mention on their front pages a few hours ago. Of course, Macron's premier just resigned so I suppose the French are just a bit busy right now.

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Mark Keating's avatar

But did you know he was a father of two? That factoid seemed really important to the chattering class for the rest of us to know. I suspected that the motive of the shooter was related to him screwing unknown numbers of people out of life-saving care. Not hard to understand at all. I hope they never catch him.

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Mark Taylor's avatar

Wonder how many kids and parents he killed, how many families bankrupted by his AI program to overrule physicals and deny needed treatment. The guy was a pampered,- overly paid corporate Frankenstein.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

How many fathers and grandfathers have died because the algorithm this MFer loved denied them the treatment they needed to stay alive?

"I hope they never catch him." You, me and about 200 million other Americans. We might be witnessing the birth of a folk hero.

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Sharon's avatar

Equity: take issue with this definition for a variety of reasons. Would love a definition of assassination, such as that related to the sad anniversary we are coming to (or may have had?) of the Chicago police and CIA's assassination of Fred Hampton. Or what about Sachs' suggestion that the CIA are separate from prez's & roaming about, causing havoc, as in Syria now? 🤔 🧐 Hmm, what dictionary definitions would these acts fall under, I wonder?

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Oh, the brave rebels are fighting for Democracy in Syria. Assassination? Lol, I'll have to think some on that one.

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Mr. Raven's avatar

Brilliant thank you, you are a regular Ambrose Bierce (sp?).

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Thank you! That's a high compliment, and you even spelled Bierce right. The Devil's Dictionary, one of my favorites.

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MrMickeysMom's avatar

Yeah, this is great... And more is needed. I was thinking as I read that there should be one for "old meaning" versus "new meaning". Let's start with Coronavirus pandemic! We could do something with the old/new meaning of "virus" for starters... 🤓

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Mark Keating's avatar

Oh here's one that seems particularly salient in these times: Antisemitism. I know what it used to mean. Current usage seems very different.

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Mark Keating's avatar

How about "radical left?"

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Gilgamech's avatar

I’m feeling myself becoming pleasantly maldismisinformed!

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Evolutionary Agent's avatar

love it

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Stephen Rowland's avatar

The Smith-Mundt modernization act is the culprit that has giving rise to the open use of propaganda on American citizens. It was signed into law, January 2013 tucked inside the National Defense Authorization Act 2012. This ruse sponsored by a republican congressman, Mac Thornberry, Texas has giving rise to a new meaning for many words. I too was a democrat through & through but have come to the conclusion they are not the only enemy. Open borders, January 6ers, war in Ukraine, genocide and silent complicity from both parties…..

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Leon Brown, Jr.'s avatar

More! More!

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