I'd been very confused recently by some of the recommended diaries and their associated comments. They seemed to be using English, but I had a hard time understanding much of what they were saying. After careful examination, I've found that many diarists and commenters here have started using some sort of DailyKos newspeak. As a service to other kossacks who haven't yet picked up on this new, clearly superior way of speaking, I've put together a small dictionary of words and phrases that I've been able to translate so far. The newspeak is in italics (below the fold):
- Taking action
- Engaging in intellectual masturbation on some blog.
- Standing up for ideals
- Believing in wacky conspiracy theories* and other fever-brained fictions.
- Real liberals, real democrats, real progressives
- those who stand up for ideals.
- Reality-based community
- Collectively, real liberals, real democrats and real progressives.
- Centrists, appeasers, trolls, republican operatives, fascists, nazis, etc.
- 1. liberals or democrats who agree with most or all of the standard left/liberal/democratic positions but who do not stand up for ideals.
- 2. liberals or democrats who agree with most or all of the standard left/liberal/democratic positions but have minor disagreements with some part of the standard position on a few issues.
- Fascism
- anything that the "reality-based community" doesn't like, e.g. Kos excercising editorial judgement.
- Critical thinking
- Believing anything that fits into your worldview and carefully sheilding yourself from any other points of view.
If anyone has any additions, please feel free to suggest them, and I'll expand the dictionary.
- * Examples of aforementioned conspiracy theories:
- Belief that WTC #7 was secretly destroyed by controlled demolition
- Belief that the Pentagon was hit by a missile, not a plane
- Belief that Israel and PNAC conspired to commit the atrocities on 9/11
- Belief that al Qaeda is a work of fiction
- Belief that the London bombings were the work of Bush for political purposes
- Belief that the London bombings were the work of the French as revenge for not getting the 2012 Olympics
- Belief that Bush is somehow hiding 9000 American servicemember fatalities
- etc.