I hate newspeak.

Orwell created the term in “1984” to describe the way the Ministry of Truth manipulated people by creating definition .. “War=Peace” or “Choice =Abortion” are examples.  Of course Orwell’s fictional practice  is now all too common as a practice not just of the government but every corporation, advocacy group or MAD Ave Don Draper.

One of my own bête noires is “people of color.”  I think this newspeak began as a way of broadening the base for the civil rights movement.   Now the privilege of being a POC is sought after by everyone from Arabs and Greeks to upper class Cubans,  I especially like the idea that anyone who comes from a place that speaks Spanish is a POC but Italians are white.  My own university avoids dealing with the all to real issues faced by blacks and native faculty by dumbing all these issues on a faculty council for minority affairs.  Of curse “minority” here must mean the huge numbers of quite successful Indians, Japanese and Koreans we see on all faculties.  Issue solved!

The latest newspeak comes out of the riots in Baltimore.  A friend on FACEBOOK is angry that I refer to the rioters as thugs.   He insists that “thug” is being used by the media, and my, as a euphemism from the dreaded N word.  In a true tribute to Orwell, my friend refused to come up with an alternative term.  So I guess thug can not be used if the rioters are black?  If I generalize this must mean that Palestinians can n to be thugs?  I suppose, however, that the Chinese government happily uses the term for the Hong Kong protesters?

I really like this post by Jamal Dajani.