Ep. 71: Laundering Imperial Violence Through Anodyne Foreign Policy-Speak (Part II)
Added 2019-04-03 15:03:35 +0000 UTCKinetic strikes. Limited military coercion. Robust sanctions. No fly zones. Military muscle. Modernization. All options are on the table.
So much of how we discuss U.S. militarism and imperialism is laundered through seemingly anodyne phrases, rhetorical thingamajigs that vaguely gesture towards an idea without conjuring the unseemly images of what’s really being called for.
In Part II of our two-part episode on “foreign policy-speak," we examine five more ubiquitous euphemisms and discuss what’s really being said (and what’s always left out) when the media uses banal phrases meant to mask military violence.
Our guest is FAIR's Janine Jackson.
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Guest
Janine Jackson is program director at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) and the producer and host of FAIR’s syndicated weekly radio show CounterSpin.
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Show Notes
‘Modernization’: Media’s Favorite Euphemism for Military Buildup
Adam Johnson | March 12, 2018 | FAIR
MSNBC’s ‘Resistance’ to Trump’s Venezuela Coup Ranges from Silence to Support
Adam Johnson | February 13, 2019 | FAIR
This Is How Hillary Clinton Gets the Coverage She Wants
J.K. Trotter | February 9, 2016 | Gawker
Anchors Away! The 'Stability' of U.S. Puppet Dictatorships
Nima Shirazi | January 26, 2011 | Wide Asleep In America
Suzie Kim | August 14, 2018 | LobeLog
The Forgotten History of American Support for the Shah
Nima Shirazi | February 14, 2014 | Wide Asleep In America
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Transcript
For a full transcript of this episode, go here.
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Comments
Two great episodes. Maybe we (opponents of empire) need to just accept the terms the media is offering, and say out loud: “we oppose engagement, we prefer to do nothing, and we like to be weak.” When “engagement” and “strength” are code for “endless warfare,” being lazy, weak, and harmless might start to seem appealing. Even “warfare” is a euphemism when it refers to constant shelling and drone-bombing of defenseless targets.
2019-04-10 00:54:10 +0000 UTCWhoops! Apologies for that - fixed now.
Citations Needed
2019-04-09 01:00:37 +0000 UTCThe broken link is just missing the ":" after http, if you want to read it before it's fixed.
Jeffrey Edwards
2019-04-08 22:56:06 +0000 UTCThe link to Nima's article about American support of the Shah is broken.
Rorie
2019-04-08 02:13:11 +0000 UTCHey yall, did my gift payment go through? My bank is a bit fussy with me these days so I want to be sure.
Jon Black
2019-04-05 17:52:48 +0000 UTC
