Politics in Dictionaries ....or Games with WORDS

[GURPS]

Watch What Happens When You Search ‘Obstructionist’ on Thesaurus.com


It seems yet another reference site is painting conservatives with a broad, negative brush.

If you search for the word “obstructionist” on Thesaurus.com, the definition is rather benign: “person who is cautious, moderate; an opponent of change.”

But take a gander at some “obstructionist” synonyms and you get “right-winger,” “right,” “rightist,” as well as “reactionary,” “redneck” and “stick-in-the-mud.”

And wouldn’t you know, the site’s listed antonyms for “obstructionist” are “left-winger,” “liberal,” “progressive” and “radical”:

View attachment 103983



(H/T: National Review Online)

 

[vraiblonde]

So?

Definition: noun person who is cautious, moderate; an opponent of change

What's wrong with that and how does that not relate to "conservative"?

Merriam Webster says: Obstruction, something that blocks something else and makes it difficult for things to move through.

I have no problem with this and I absolutely have no problem with Republicans obstructing the idiot Democrats. I wish they'd do it more often. If you have a negative impression of that word, it's just media brainwashing at work. That word is neutral.

 

[GURPS]

sure, ok ...

... but the point is, combine the two,

Merriam Webster says: Obstruction, something that blocks something else and makes it difficult for things to move through.

“obstructionist” synonyms and you get “right-winger,” “right,” “rightist,”



Obstruction - Right wingers that block something else or makes it difficult to get through

 

[vraiblonde]

Obstruction - Right wingers that block something else or makes it difficult to get through

Isn't that what they were hired to do? What's the problem?

 

[GURPS]

Merriam-Webster’s Definition Of Bigotry Is Conservatism
We're all non-partisan here.



Typing “bigotry” into their website, the word is defined as bigoted acts or beliefs. Scroll down to the “related words” section and you will see conservatism coupled together with reactionaryism, insularism, insularity, parochialism, and provincialism. But they go further. The antonym (opposite) of bigotry is liberalism.

so only conservatives or 'right wingers' can be bigots or Obstructionists
seems to me there was a Democrat party majority in Congress that Obstructed Bush Appointees

Truth Revolt also reached out Webster and their response that was different from the Mirror’s.

The email reads:

Thank you for writing. "Conservatism" and “bigotry” are inappropriately treated on our site as related words, and we will be removing "bigotry" from the list of related words for "conservatism," and vice versa, as soon as possible. We appreciate the opportunity to address this issue and hope that an explanation of how this situation came to be will be helpful.

The lists of synonyms, antonyms, and related words on our site are derived from our Collegiate Thesaurus. In the Thesaurus, "bigotry" is treated as a synonym of "illiberalism," which is an antonym of "liberalism" in one of its uses, related to the use of “liberal” to mean “broad-minded.” "Conservatism" is of course distinct from "liberalism" in quite another, political sense. Here is the relevant sense of "conservatism" as it appears in the Online Dictionary:

“a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change; specifically : such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense, and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (as retirement income or health-care coverage)”

As you can see, there is no suggestion of bigotry to be found in that definition.

It is normal in a Thesaurus to cast a wide net when providing suggestions for synonyms and related words, and it is true that "bigotry" and "conservatism" are each distinguished from "liberalism" in certain, separate uses, but it is obviously incorrect to infer that the meanings of "bigotry" and "conservatism" are therefore in any way related to each other. We apologize for the lapse in editorial judgment that led to this error, and we are glad to be alerted to it so that it can be corrected.

Cordially,

Lee Goodrich, Editorial Department

Merriam-Webster, Inc.​

 

[GURPS]

It is a dictionary ..... editors should strive to remain neutral

MW even admitted as such, there was an error:

ROSE MARTINO: “I apologize for the unfortunate juxtaposition; the basic line of reasoning seems to have been that since ‘liberalism’ is an antonym to ‘conservatism,’ perceived antonyms of ‘liberalism’ could be considered to be related words for ‘conservatism.’ The other word on that particular related words sub-list is ‘illiberalism,’ which makes the connection a bit clearer… for people who understand that the groups set off by semicolons are considered to be sets of words related to *each other*, which is not immediately obvious to many thesaurus users, and we apologize for that as well.

The crux of the issue appears to be that those two entries were handled by different editors, one of whom thought ‘bigotry’ and ‘illiberalism’ were nearly synonymous (while the other did not, explaining why ‘bigotry’ does not appear at the actual ‘liberal’ entry), and so added both at ‘conservatism.’ This lack of perfect reciprocity crops up from time to time with a thesaurus, and in this particular instance it was especially regrettable. I’ll definitely recommend that the entry be reviewed thoroughly for the next new edition or revision of the thesaurus, and in the meantime I hope you’ll forgive us for the unintended but very real offensiveness of the apparent connection.

Thank you for taking the time to write to us, and please do not hesitate to contact us with a question in the future.”

it is akin to defining 'gang banger' and putting a picture of a male of African Decent .... not all Africans are Gang Bangers, and not all Gang Bangers are Brown People

 

[vraiblonde]

I get annoyed with people, the way they attach connotations to words that are neutral. Bigotry, I'll give you - but Obstructionist?? Obstruction isn't a bad thing; in many cases it's a very good thing.

It's like people who freak out over "retarded", which is actually a real word with a real meaning that does not pertain specifically to mentally disabled people. I want my language back and I'm tired of having to furiously keep up with whatever meaning some knucklehead has decided to attach to a common everyday word so they can get all pissed off when someone says it.

 

[LibertyBeacon]

I get annoyed with people, the way they attach connotations to words that are neutral. Bigotry, I'll give you - but Obstructionist?? Obstruction isn't a bad thing; in many cases it's a very good thing.

It's like people who freak out over "retarded", which is actually a real word with a real meaning that does not pertain specifically to mentally disabled people. I want my language back and I'm tired of having to furiously keep up with whatever meaning some knucklehead has decided to attach to a common everyday word so they can get all pissed off when someone says it.

That's because we have allowed the "anti-bullying" nonsense to take hold in our society. The anti-bullying movement is little more than cultural Marxism which aims to control not only what we say, but what we think. A little here, a little there .. in a generation or maybe sooner, the meanings of words have been changed into something of which we shall not speak in public. Your "retarded" example is a perfect example of this. It's meaning is not exclusively married to describing people like SLURPS and HIJINKS.

 

[GURPS]

I want my language back and I'm tired of having to furiously keep up with whatever meaning some knucklehead has decided to attach to a common everyday word so they can get all pissed off when someone says it.

yes obstructionist is a good thing - but why is it attached to the Right ?

... because the Dear Leader keeps complaining is speech after speech, my pussy hurts, those mean righties wont let me do what I want
... so the word is used in a NEGATIVE Connotation, like calling people racists if they question the United Negro College Fund .... and why we don't have a fund for YT




I suppose one could make the case, the people that lap this #### up, are the same, the would not believe Sarah Palin if she told them the New Years comes before Christmas

 

[Lurk]

Definitions and usage patterns for words change over time and the dictionaries traditionally refine the meaning of words to reflect the general use of the word in the population. If you look at documented use of the words racist, bigot, and their derivatives over the past five to ten years, they actually have become anti-conservative. This is reflected by the numbers of times the words are used to define conservatives in a bad light among the numerous blogs, in pronouncements by the permanently aggrieved societies (NAACP, SCLC, etc.) and the left-leaning press.

 

[Gilligan]

Your "retarded" example is a perfect example of this. .

Where does your favorite word "joos" fit in to this?