Debunking dog whistling and discriminatory public discourses!

What is Dog whistle politics?

Dog-whistle politics is a type of coded language used in political messaging. It works by employing words that have normal meanings to the majority but can be implied or loaded to mean very specific things to intended recipients. Dog-whistle politics call upon the anxiety or fear of minorities that already resides implicitly in our societies by using political catchphrases that don’t explicitly mention minorities but ultimately refer to them. It can target any kind of minority.

Dog whitlings can be intentional or not, by politicians looking for voters, or by media outlets. Still, their potential can be very dangerous mostly because of the difficulty to see and deconstruct them. Ultimately, even if these provocations do not mention any specific groups, yet they can nevertheless powerfully communicate messages about threatening already stigmatized minorities. Some words are used in everyday life, mostly because people are unaware of their real meaning or the social meaning and status they have acquired in a particular time.

Where does this idea come from?

The Glossary takes part of our shared project Get the Trolls out! It is when doing the monitoring of mainstream media that we noticed the recurrent use of the same words and expressions, however without clearly define them.

What is the aim of the glossary?

The aim of the glossary is to debunk Dog-whistle politics by defining words that are used to disseminate discriminatory, racist, or far-right narratives and stigmatized minorities. The glossary is therefore a tool available for everyone who wants to learn about the stigmatization of minorities via coded words, in particular media professionals and journalists.

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