Rhetorical tropes which are used to support, or which end up supporting, the Right in the USA
1) Both Sides are equally bad. [Therefore the Republicans are not that bad.]
2) The Republican president is vulnerable to the Deep State. [Therefore any attempt to impeach the current President for corruption is anti-democratic, and a deep state conspiracy. ]
3) America has done bad things in the past. [Therefore, what we, or the President, are doing now is not that bad really. Certainly we should be even handed about this, and excuse ourselves from any particular responsibility (see 1)]
4) Always talk about foreign policy and wars, because the parties are quite similar here. Never talk about domestic issues (other than guns), such as: wages, work security, work safety, distribution of income, or health. That way, point 1 is reinforced again
5) The left is to blame for whatever goes wrong. Everything is ok, when the Right governs, even while it is collapsing.
Eg: By questioning us the Democrats are responsible for everything bad that happens while they are questioning us, because they break morale. [Therefore they are the bad people. Everyone should just be quiet – unless they are criticising democrats]
6) Science is a left-wing political conspiracy, [unless it is sponsored by the corporate sector, and boosts profit, and even then its risky.]
7) Global warming is an example of science in action. Scientists just say there is global warming because they get grants for saying that.
8) Disagreeing with a scientific consensus shows true independent thinking. Disagreeing with the free market ‘consensus’ [which does not exist in economics] shows lunacy.
9) The Constitution allows the Right to do whatever they like, because they are Right….
10) The Left want to warp the consitution and take away your rights.
11) The left are politically correct, latte drinking, socialist, feminazi, whimps who would boldly take your guns and freedom away.
12) The Left would persecute Religious people [by objecting to religious people discriminating against others.]
13) Listening to women talk about sexual assault, leads to innocent men being persecuted and so women should be ignored [they are viscious irrational harridans to begin with].
14) People who identify as Lefist should be shot – Oh we are not being serious, the left just can’t take a joke.
15) To keep you safe we have to prevent leftists from propagating socialist propaganda like global warming. They are unAmerican at best.
16) We must reluctantly support Nazis and white-supremacist rights to free speech. Because free speech is sacred.
17) The lack of support you hear from ordinary non-shouty people, indicates they support us.
18) Helping poor people is interfering government at its worse. Helping rich people makes everyone prosperous.
19) Private charity is good. [It keeps the poor acknowledging their place and dependency.]
20) No Good, Christian, Conservative, free market loving, Anglo, gender secure, hetrosexual person would ever stoop to using identity politics. That is a leftist trick to divide us.
21) Hilary Clinton is a criminal. [All round, general purpose response to anything – despite Clinton being investigated by hostile Republicans almost continually, and never being successfully prosecuted for anything.]
Climate, technology and chaos Blog 
November 13, 2019 at 10:57 am |
[…] have a classic example of the “both sides are equally bad” meme, being used to excuse and support the political Righteous in the Sydney Morning Herald this […]