The alarming emergence of a crypto-fascist alternative right has raised many concerns among PLAs (progressive liberal academics). PLAs have always adhered to a rigid standard of truth and integrity in their discourse of political ideas and how to further the betterment of the collective good. So it is with some dismay that they now find themselves in debate with people who let no truth or fact stand in the way of a good story. But even more worryingly, the alt right have literally usurped the meaning of words.
Take freedom for instance – a word they like to throw around plenteously but they have turned its meaning on its head. Where does freedom come from? Obviously the government. The government makes us safe (free from danger) the government provides roads and the TSA (free to travel safely) the government provides Obamacare (free from illness) and the list of freedoms that a beneficent government provides is endless.
The alt right have even taken the liberty to pervert the meaning of liberty. According to the Cambridge Dictionary the formal meaning of liberty is: the freedom to live as you wish or go where you want. How can anyone be able to live as they wish or go where they want without the government providing a comprehensive welfare safety net. What if someone runs out of money? Being homeless and starving is not how anyone wishes to live and you clearly can’t go anywhere when you’re broke. The alt right’s new meaning of liberty would actually be the end of liberty for many tens of millions of people. In this inversion of the meaning of words – the alt right’s fascism becomes palpable.
Even numbers aren’t safe from these lying little Nazis. Take 911 – a number that to sane people means a day of tragedy when nineteen hijackers turned against their religion of peace and committed the worst terrorist attack in the history of the United States. But to the warped and sick minds of the alt right 911 can mean anything in a litany of crazy anti-government conspiracy theories – which they cling to despite debunking by everyone from the 911 Commission to Popular Mechanics magazine.
Due to this very dangerous trend of the alt right subverting words and their ability to disseminate these lies through a completely unregulated internet – the growing consensus among PLAs is that something must urgently be done.
Following the rigging of the election (with Putin’s help) by the racist xenophobe Donald Trump – it seems unlikely that any action will be taken on this front by US authorities. This leaves the United Nations.
Fortunately the UN is not hamstrung by outdated notions like the first amendment. Clearly speech is not free; the cost of the alt right’s lies is enormous. With the positive development of the Domain Naming System being, rightfully so, handed to the UN there is a real opportunity of implementing sensible internet regulation on a global scale.
Here at the the Accredited Times we share the PLAs consensus view that these sensible internet regulations must be comprehensive and enforced rigorously. The UN must also establish a department for the protection and standardization of the meaning of words. Our freedom is at stake.
The word “Right” is a word that has been badly corrupted by the fascists, who use it to imply they are ‘correct’ , morally correct, justified etc. In fact it refers to grotesque racist, sexist, homophobic etc. speech, thought and actions. The Right are evil and certainly not ‘correct’.
You are so correct Puyloubier. Left to them means that gays, blacks, women, and the transgendered should be left out. We need to take back control of the words and the narrative from these twisters of truth!
Excellent article. Thankfully though, some words have been correctly recaptured by progressives such as the term “liberal”, which now means cutural marxist rather than classical liberal. And although I agree, Puyloubier, that the term “right” has some unfortunate connotations, the term “right-wing” has correctly become synonymous with “evil”. All I have to do is describe something as “right-wing”, and most people immediately flinch in horror.
Having said that, I agree that many terms need to be recaptured – like “freedom” as you say Rich, and also “libertarian” since many progressives such as Bill Maher used to describe themselves as libertarian until the term was stolen by right-wing extremists. Gary Johnson also has many progressive views, and is helping to recapture that term. And how can conservatives say they support freedom when they believe in borders? What about the freedom of undocumented Americans to vote and receive welfare?
MDB, conservatives twist everything.
They turn truth to lies and beauty to degradation.
Take Black Lives Matter.
The surprising new concept that black lives are also worth something has broadened the heart of our nation.
This blazing light of love has even melted the heart of repentant Nazi collaborator Soros.
That’s how strong our new liberal love has been.
But the conservative has turned beauty into shame. Conservatives hate people of color.
As a liberal, I ignore them. I know someday they will be re-educated.
When I look across our inner cities, and see the former slaves of our nation standing on street corners until late at night to put fried chicken on their children, my heart could almost explode with love.
Thanks for article richandrenee.
Publishing leaked information used to be called “journalism”. Too bad we don’t have that anymore.
As a result, the mainstream media needs to burn to the ground. All of it.
Everyone knows this now. Time’s up.
Russians hacking the computers of trusted government officers and releasing secret information on a Swedish server is not journalism!
MSM are accredited sources of information!
Alt-right sites need to be shut down! The alt-right spreads lies about our trusted government officers.
These leaks are more like a James Bond movie:
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/305645-so-were-just-going-to-forget-wikileaks-and-russia
How dare you threaten to commit a hate crime and burn the mainstream media to the ground Mr. Mungus. We all know that some very sick criminals have started out as fire starters – I suggest you tone down the rhetoric right now.
We need to wage a war on the word “man”.
Princeton has a good guide for removing the word “man” from your vocabulary:
https://www.princeton.edu/hr/progserv/communications/inclusivelanguage.pdf
For example: “to man a piece of equipment” should be replaced with “to operate a piece of equipment”
It’s great to see inclusive language personfested in the Princeton guide. They could go a stage further and rename themselves Princesston to redress the sexist bias so prevalent elsewhere.
The don’t only twist the sense of words they also twist the narrative of any story, this is odious! Look at this white man who viciously attacked a group of Afro-Americans in Chicago, hitting their fists & boots with his testicles and his face, they are now trying to make a hero of him !
I am sure glad I found this site of like minded people. I had a total melt down when Trump won the election over our much esteemed and wonderful loving honest Hillary Clinton that I had to retreat to my safe space in my parents basement where my boyfriend and I cried into the night.
I will remember this for all my life and I am scared and need reparations from the horrible fox news watching, rush limbaugh following total mind dead fascists.
Now I am so broken and I feel like the world is against me. Thank Goodness we have heroes like george soros to save us.
He paid me great money to take a trip on a wonderful bus and light cars on fire and destroy private property to show our unity in destroying the hatred of DJT.
I feel a bit better now that the tear gas has subsided.
Take heart comrade – powerful progressives (including George Soros and Elizabeth Warren) are plotting to overthrow the orange tyrant as we speak.
Jack – methinks you are misguided. Obviously misinformed, and possibly in need of extensive re-education. I applaud your exercise of 1st amendment rights but you may have gone too far.
I hear there is an excellent program at an accredited university where someone such as yourself can gain 3 credits for taking a class where you can contemplate your toxic masculinity and make reparations for all the damage your forefathers inflicted upon people of color in the past – yes we all know you were not there when slavery was the norm, but someone’s got to pay, so now we all will. Racism tends to continue within families so if ANY of us had ancestors here at any point in time in the past we’re all guilty and must pay.
Be ashamed of your whiteness if you are not a person of color, be ashamed of your hetero ways if you are not a person of alphabet self-identification, and be ashamed of your wealth if you own anything.
We here subscribe to all things progressive and we are gaining ground out there. Trump will be rightfully denied the WH by enlightened electors next month and the sun will gradually shine again upon this great progressive land.
BTW, Venezuela is simply experiencing a bump in the road to the perfect progressive state. Things tend to go in cycles and just like the US, the Venezuelans are experiencing a slight downturn on their way to a greater glory. We should aspire to be more like them!
I am also a person who loves freedom. We should all demand that the government provide all people, especially young people, with free safe spaces and that these spaces can be used at any time without penalty. How can anyone be free without a safe space to retreat to?
We also need to have a guaranteed income for all people, especially for minorities and especially for women, and especially for people who have a lot of debt because it isn’t our fault. Freedom hinges on this.
Besides, how can anyone be free unless they have food and housing provided for them at a minimum. I don’t know what I’d do if those callous ridden conservatives forced me to work for a living like they do. It must be brutal being on construction sites all day or working in coal mines (which should be put out of business), but that’s what those racist rural nazis seem to like to do.
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