OPINION:
First of two parts
You have to hand it to the radical left and their parrots in the media and academia. They give Madison Avenue a run for its money when it comes to marketing their agenda. In fact, they probably have a bunch of “Mad Men” types helping them. They’re so good at controlling language and discourse that many Republicans and conservatives irrationally adopt the left’s lexicon. They do this even though these words and phrases are meant to sanitize and obscure the truth, and sucker people into believing that extremism is mere happy talk.
This lack of discipline among Republicans has contributed to the utter failure of the right to win the biggest cultural and policy battles of the last 50 years. Here are just a few. More next week.
Progressive
We all want progress, right? Progressivism is a political philosophy that was brought to America from Europe in the early 1900s to help improve working and living conditions. It was not intended to create Democrats’ cradle-to-grave welfare state, a sprawling, omnipotent administrative state, nor was it grounded in forcing extremist social policies. Democrats were smart to start using this term rather than “liberal,” because “progressive” could be more attractive to more people. Progressive today, however, is not moderate. It has nothing to do with progress. It is leftist and radical, and it should be alternatively described using those terms.
Gender-affirming care
Like “progressive,” this one is meant to trick the user into thinking that something inherently destructive is the exact opposite. In order to create an industry around taking advantage of the mentally and emotionally ill, “gender-affirming care” was deployed to obfuscate what it really is: chemical and surgical castration, sterilization and mutilation of one’s God-given body to devastating and often irreversible effect. It is another assault on the sanctity of the human person. Through efforts not to offend anyone, this term has become mainstream. But it should be totally abrogated by Republicans.
Asylum-seeker and migrant
These terms, overused by the media and Democrats, also prey upon the ignorance of the public. Asylum is a legal term that pertains to individuals who formally request protection because they are threatened. Asylum laws were not created to subvert immigration laws. Genuine asylum-seekers represent only a small percentage of immigrants crossing U.S. borders. The laws were also not created to provide access to a country of choice for economic purposes or those looking to take advantage of a welfare system. Anytime President Biden or Democrats use the term “asylum-seeker” as a replacement for “illegal immigrant,” they are suggesting that these people are victims to mask the victimization of Americans by the open border.
In addition, illegal immigrants have also been relabeled “migrants.’” After all, they’re just people moving around. What could be so wrong with that? Republicans have now started using “migrant” as well. “Illegal immigrant” is not offensive. It is exactly what the vast majority of those who cross the border are.
Social justice, equity and inclusion
These catch-all terms from the left are so broad and nebulous that they mean everything and nothing all at once. Only the left’s malevolence would create a fungible societal construct based on racial division and victimhood. It is insidious, because its goals can never actually be achieved. How convenient.
Equity is different than equality. Equality is about opportunity. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders was recently forced to admit on “Real Time With Bill Maher” that he really didn’t know what it meant and admitted it is about equality of outcome, which, when manufactured by the government or elites, is fundamentally a Marxist and anti-American concept.
These terms can literally mean anything. The marijuana lobby, for instance, has claimed that legalizing weed is “social justice” even though there is no evidence that the presence of more drugs in minority communities has ever led to empowerment for anyone. The terms equity and inclusion should be viewed as an abomination.
Zero emissions
This one is one of the biggest lies from the climate cultists of the American left. There is no such thing as zero emissions. Everything creates emissions, including your Prius. The extraction of raw materials, production of every product component, and all human activity create emissions. The earth has natural emissions. Ever hear of volcanoes? Reducing emissions is a laudable goal — and we’ve been doing that for decades — but the idea that anything can have zero emissions is nonsense. Companies and politicians that claim they can get to zero emissions are using fuzzy math to virtue-signal. They’re cooking the books with carbon credits and other schemes to con the public, but they will never be zero emissions. Never use the term unless you’re calling out the fact that it flies in the face of science.
• Tom Basile is the host of “America Right Now” on Newsmax TV, an author and a former Bush administration official.
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