Is "the American people" a dog whistle term to refer to white conservatives?
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  Is "the American people" a dog whistle term to refer to white conservatives?
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Author Topic: Is "the American people" a dog whistle term to refer to white conservatives?  (Read 2426 times)
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snowguy716
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« on: November 21, 2014, 09:52:18 PM »

I hear both sides use it... But I cant help but get this uncomfortable feeling when I hear Republicans use the term.  It reminds me too much of "des deutschen Volkes".

How anout you?
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KCDem
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« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2014, 10:05:09 PM »

Yes, and it's disgusting.
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Maxwell
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« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2014, 10:06:09 PM »

At this point, everything's a dog whistle.
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TJ in Oregon
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« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2014, 10:10:21 PM »

I think you're hearing things, Snowguy. It simply means the people, the voters, the citizens, etc. The American people come in all races and ideologies.
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bedstuy
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« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2014, 10:14:01 PM »

It's totally fine.

The probably is when fascists like Sarah Palin contrast "Real America" to any other part of America, as if you're not American if you live in a city, are non-white or non-Christian. 

An extreme example is Gerald LK Smith who referred to the "The baby havin', stump grubbin', sod bustin', go to meetin', God fearin' American people."  That has some seriously ultra nationalist, Nazi-esque connotations.
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Marokai Backbeat
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« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2014, 10:37:17 PM »

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Pandaguineapig
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« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2014, 10:50:15 PM »

Anything can be a dog whistle term if you use your imagination!
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New_Conservative
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« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2014, 10:51:54 PM »

Obviously not......
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DrScholl
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« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2014, 10:55:34 PM »

It depends on who it comes from and there are certain people who choose to use it in that way.
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New_Conservative
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« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2014, 10:59:56 PM »

People are so incredibly politically correct that you can no longer refer to the citizens of the United States as "American people" without offending people.
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Mehmentum
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« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2014, 11:02:08 PM »

'American people' has become basically meaningless.  Every politician of all ideologies use the term to the point where its lost all emotional meaning or impact.
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True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)
Ernest
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« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2014, 06:47:34 AM »

Possibly a dog whistle for "conservatives", but I think most conservatives are too colorblind, in the sense they are blind to differences in opportunity based upon color, for them to be adding "white" in there.
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Person Man
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« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2014, 10:12:11 AM »

Possibly a dog whistle for "conservatives", but I think most conservatives are too colorblind, in the sense they are blind to differences in opportunity based upon color, for them to be adding "white" in there.

Almost all Democrats says its there, almost all Republicans deny its there and an Independent comes along and says its there, but not on purpose. It's there.
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Joe Republic
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« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2014, 12:20:17 PM »

Eeh, maybe.  I think it's more of just a vapid marketing expression, like 'the middle class', or their boogeyman opposite, 'the 1%'.
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Indy Texas
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« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2014, 03:22:46 PM »

No, but "hardworking Americans" and "the taxpayers" are examples of terms that are better dog whistle candidates.
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Maxwell
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« Reply #15 on: November 22, 2014, 03:56:37 PM »

No, but "hardworking Americans" and "the taxpayers" are examples of terms that are better dog whistle candidates.

Both of those are also too vague and over-used by all sides to be dog whistles.
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Indy Texas
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« Reply #16 on: November 22, 2014, 04:17:01 PM »

No, but "hardworking Americans" and "the taxpayers" are examples of terms that are better dog whistle candidates.

Both of those are also too vague and over-used by all sides to be dog whistles.

Liberals/Democrats rarely make reference to taxpayers. The implication is (1) that some people pay tax and some don't (everyone has to pay SS/FICA taxes and even if you get your entire income tax withholding refunded back to you, you essentially gave the government a one-year interest-free loan) and (2) that somehow your worth as a citizen or your right to determine policy is determined by how much tax you pay.

The Left prefers the term "working families" even when the families in question do not actually work.
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ElectionsGuy
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« Reply #17 on: November 22, 2014, 04:36:06 PM »

No, its an overused political phrase.

Its "the middle class" also a dog whistle to refer to working class democrats? You decide
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shua
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« Reply #18 on: November 22, 2014, 05:19:47 PM »

No, but "hardworking Americans" and "the taxpayers" are examples of terms that are better dog whistle candidates.

Both of those are also too vague and over-used by all sides to be dog whistles.

Liberals/Democrats rarely make reference to taxpayers. The implication is (1) that some people pay tax and some don't (everyone has to pay SS/FICA taxes and even if you get your entire income tax withholding refunded back to you, you essentially gave the government a one-year interest-free loan) and (2) that somehow your worth as a citizen or your right to determine policy is determined by how much tax you pay.

The Left prefers the term "working families" even when the families in question do not actually work.

The Left (as opposed to moderate Democrats) doesn't use the term "taxpayers" because it has no rhetorical value for someone advocating increased spending and wealth redistribution. Unless they are going after spending abuses in the Pentagon, or other spending the Left doesn't like, in which case the term makes sense. 
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badgate
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« Reply #19 on: November 23, 2014, 02:56:18 AM »


Dog Whistles 101
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RogueBeaver
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« Reply #20 on: November 23, 2014, 01:24:55 PM »

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shua
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« Reply #21 on: November 23, 2014, 02:11:13 PM »


No, Dog Whistles 101 is this: If you can hear a dog whistle, what does that make you?
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Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook
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« Reply #22 on: November 24, 2014, 11:34:46 PM »


No, Dog Whistles 101 is this: If you can hear a dog whistle, what does that make you?

A bat.
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Bigby
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« Reply #23 on: November 24, 2014, 11:40:20 PM »

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Napoleon
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« Reply #24 on: November 25, 2014, 12:43:58 AM »


No, Dog Whistles 101 is this: If you can hear a dog whistle, what does that make you?

sig game on point tho
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