this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2023

131 points (94.6% liked)

Comradeship // Freechat

12 readers

1 users here now

Talk about whatever, respecting the rules established by Lemmygrad. Failing to comply with the rules will grant you a few warnings, insisting on breaking them will grant you a beautiful shiny banwall.

A community for comrades to chat and talk about whatever doesn't fit other communities

founded 4 years ago

MODERATORS

felipeforte@lemmygrad.ml

131

Western doublespeak compilation (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by Trudge@lemmygrad.ml to c/comradeship@lemmygrad.ml

91 comments fedilink hide all child comments

We all know that the west uses two different words for the same thing depending on where it is happening.

e.g. Secret Police vs Plainclothes Officer
Regime vs Government

Can we have a compilation thread of these words? I am probably using many of them unconsciously without critical examination.

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Soul_Greatsword@lemmygrad.ml 53 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Prime minister and Supreme leader are literally synonyms yet have such wildly different implications.

[–] Sickos@hexbear.net 52 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Bribery/corruption vs lobbying
Oligarch vs job creator
Warlord vs leader/general
Preventable deaths are social murder
Propaganda vs public relations
Terrorist/guerilla and freedom fighter just depends on which side of the violence you're on
Any use of the term "extremist"
And the worst is that they call their fascists "neoliberals"

Mandatory Viewing

Optional Reading

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] azanra4@lemmygrad.ml 46 points 2 years ago (2 children)

manifest destiny vs. the holocaust

[–] kig_v2@lemmygrad.ml 32 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Literally Lebensraum

[–] absentthereaper@lemmygrad.ml 16 points 2 years ago

Our Manifest Destiny, their Lebensraum

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] Trudge@lemmygrad.ml 46 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I'll start the thread.

Billionaire vs Oligarch
Custom vs Ritual
Freedom fighter vs Terrorist
Anime vs Cartoon

[–] FishLake@lemmygrad.ml 34 points 2 years ago (13 children)

Anime vs Cartoon

It appears you have chosen violence.

load more comments (13 replies)

[–] big_spoon@lemmygrad.ml 44 points 2 years ago

oligarchy - entrepreneurs

invasion - humanitarian intervention

indoctrination - common sense

surveillance - CCTV

attacking free press - defending national security

racial profiling/transphobia - stopping cultural marxism

freedom fighters - terrorists

united states - america

football - soccer

[–] absentthereaper@lemmygrad.ml 38 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

our 'hard-hitting journalism', their 'state-funded propaganda'

[–] iridaniotter@lemmygrad.ml 38 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Their regime, our administration

[–] brain_in_a_box@hexbear.net 38 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

Their authoritarianism vs our law and order.

Their warcrime vs our collateral damage.

Their dictator vs our leader.

Their reeducation vs our rehabilitation.

Their state media vs our public media.

load more comments (5 replies)

[–] ProfessorAdonisCnut@hexbear.net 37 points 2 years ago

There's just a kajillion of them:

Their Stasi Vs our neighborhood watch

Their whataboutism Vs our providing important context

Their unaccountable regime security forces Vs our police officer who feared for his safety

Their re-education Vs our cult deprogramming

Their GULAG Vs our federal bureau of prisons

Their prison camps Vs our prisons

[–] CascadeOfLight@hexbear.net 36 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Our prison, their prison camp

[–] LaGG_3@hexbear.net 23 points 2 years ago

"internment camp" might be good to plug here

[–] Shinhoshi@lemmygrad.ml 33 points 2 years ago

Internship vs unpaid labor

[–] communal_programmer7@lemmygrad.ml 33 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

Defector/refugee - Illegal immigrant
Community service - Forced labor
Liberation - Occupation
Enhanced interrogation techniques - Torture

[–] ComradeSalad@lemmygrad.ml 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (7 children)

Community service is not forced labour 💀

You mean prison labour is forced labour. Community service is when they make dumbass teens arrested for something like vandalism or underage drinking, go and work at a soup kitchen, or pick up garbage off the side of the road as punishment.

load more comments (7 replies)

[–] polskilumalo@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Don't forget expat! They love that one.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 32 points 2 years ago

"The adults in the room" versus "the unaccountable ruling class and their puppets"

THEY ARE THE SAME FUCKING THING

[–] WoofWoof91@hexbear.net 30 points 2 years ago (1 children)

security forces vs police
i like using that one about america, it makes liberals weirdly defensive lol

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] 201dberg@lemmygrad.ml 29 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The various ways they avoid using "oligarch" for westerns. Western Billionaire, entrepreneur, etc, whereas it's always "Russian Oligarchs."

[–] Drug_Shareni@hexbear.net 23 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

On that note: "bribery" and "lobbying"

[–] facow@hexbear.net 19 points 2 years ago (1 children)

"Western philanthropist" vs "Russian Oligarch"

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 29 points 2 years ago

Their police state versus our safety.

Authoritarian spying apparatus versus smart advertising.

[–] Trudge@lemmygrad.ml 27 points 2 years ago

Immigrant vs Expat

[–] HighOnCopium@hexbear.net 26 points 2 years ago

our riots vs their protests for freedom

[–] McCainRBGcreampie@hexbear.net 26 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Assassination/targeted killing and mercenary/contractor legit make me furious. Up there with "enhanced interrogation".

[–] Sickos@hexbear.net 15 points 2 years ago

Oh yeah mercenary/private military corporation contractor is insanity

[–] Spanish_Commie@lemmygrad.ml 26 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Expat / immigrant

load more comments (6 replies)

[–] TrudeauCastroson@hexbear.net 24 points 2 years ago

Defence contractor vs weapons manufacturer

Used depending on who's buying weapons from whom

[–] Thordros@hexbear.net 24 points 2 years ago

The Dictator's hand-picked successor.

The President's endorsement.

[–] ButtigiegMineralMap@lemmygrad.ml 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

In terms of Israel: Skirmishes vs terrorist attacks

[–] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Paid volunteers vs mercenaries

White nationalism vs white supremacist

[–] apemint@kbin.social 19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

freedom fighters vs terrorists
Media really had a field day with these over the last 20 years.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] renownedballoonthief@lemmygrad.ml 17 points 2 years ago

Our routine missile test vs their provocative missile launch

[–] relay@lemmygrad.ml 15 points 2 years ago

https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/episode-137-thought-terminating-enemy-epithets-part-i https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/episode-138-thought-terminating-enemy-epithets-part-ii

[–] NormalC@hexbear.net 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

President of the United States of America (POTUS) vs. US head of state.
Self-determination vs. whoever the fuck in power determined it
Israeli nationality vs. Zionist
CIA/FBI agent vs. secret police/international terror network

[–] American_Communist22@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 2 years ago

Terrorists vs freedom fighters

dictator vs president

[–] coderade@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago

gulag vs prison oligarch vs entrepreneur

load more comments