The Meaning of Words – June 2011
by Peter Denison
Humpty Dumpty famously said, “When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more, nor less.” When Alice objected he added, “The question is, which is to be master, that’s all.” Right wing ideologues have taken that lesson to heart with remarkable success. Here are some examples of their exploits.
SPECIAL INTERESTS:
This term used to refer to Wall Street investors and business groups like the National Association of Manufacturers. Liberals and populists would often campaign against these special interests, always composed of relatively small groups of people who had more power than should have been appropriate for their size, or, for that matter, for the amount of interest they showed for the common good. Ronald Reagan in a stroke of genius changed the definition. Suddenly the special interests became organized labor, the women’s movement, or the NAACP, which had been thought of as a civil rights organization dedicated to equality for all. Suddenly it was turned into just a pressure group supporting exclusively African-American interests. Civil rights movements for gays were also merely special interests. Now populists could be manipulated to forget about bankers and Wall Street tycoons, and turn their wrath on these groups which represented millions instead. More power to the Right.
REFORM:
I guess we have to credit George W. Bush for this change in a word meaning. Once reform meant to eliminate corruption from federal, state, or local governments by making structural changes. The Federal work force was put on civil service so that most jobs would not be subject to the spoils system. Later the Clayton Act of 1914 and the Wagner Act of 1935 helped labor unions to have more bargaining power. There were reforms in voting by outlawing the poll tax, ending White primaries in the Southern States, and making registration much less cumbersome. Now what is called “reform” includes such acts as eliminating union bargaining rights, changing pension systems from defined benefits to defined contributions (and at the mercy of the stock exchange), raising the retirement age, or ending tenure which had been a protection for free speech. This type of “reform” should be spelled with a D, not only because it does deform our democratic system, but because the government entities that enacted them have failed in their duty to serve all the American people. All that said, using the word “reform” that way was a brilliant stroke for those who wanted to increase corporate domination.
CONSERVATIVE:
The change in meaning of this word is more complex. The word used to mean being suspicious of any change, and at least needing to be convinced the change was a good idea. When dealing with changes in the status quo this attitude would benefit the wealthy classes as they could hang on to their privileges. However, workers who resisted technological changes as threatening their jobs could also be called conservatives. Aside from politics and the economy, however, the word had no class connotations. Conservative medical treatment means avoiding invasive surgery except when deemed absolutely necessary to help the patient as much as possible. Thus we employ the term “radical mastectomy” for the most comprehensive surgery. At that time no one was ever accused of not being a “true conservative”. Now the situation is different. If you want to be known as a “true Conservative” (Notice that the word is capitalized now.), there are certain litmus tests of a truly Orthodox Conservative. One must oppose abortion, gay rights, higher taxes, deficits (but only when we have a Democratic president), and believe that all the ills of our nation are due to labor unions, and incompetent government workers. (Apparently there is no other kind except probably in our armed forces.) It is still allowable for a Conservative to oppose a war either if no oil is involved, or if it is initiated by a Democratic president. One must give allegiance to nuclear power and “clean” coal and be very skeptical of wind power especially if it is near the mansions of the wealthy. When a truly Conservative Republican is president we must “think outside the box,” and be willing to make radical changes that will increase the power and wealth of the upper classes. Finally the true Conservative must support encroachments on the separation of church and state even if his personal philosophy is closer to Ayn Rand.
This change in meaning is not as inconsistent as one might think. Resistance to change once preserved the interests of the wealthy. Now radical change such as destroying the Roosevelt New Deal serves the same goal. Yet this is hardly conservatism as we knew it. Would reactionary be a better term? Very likely. How about fascist? Not yet, but maybe later.