Normalising racist euphemism - Village Magazine

July-August 2024 61

Normalising racist euphemism

Loaded racist language is intended to fudge

circumstance-driven fear and foreigner-oriented hatred

By J Vivian Cooke

ith words, who said them, how

they are said, where and when

they are said, even what is not

said can matter as much as

what is being said. The richness

of the English language lies in the ability of its

wide vocabulary, infused with Norman and

Anglo-Saxon inﬂuences to convey nuance and

emphasis: the ﬁne distinctions in meaning and

subtle shifts in tone that are not captured by a

dictionary deﬁnition.

Understandings among interlocutors of

context, shared references, and intent

generally determine meaning in language. This

is why text messages cannot capture tone and

why humour does not survive literal analysis.

Misunderstandings of these mutual

frameworks generate difficulties from

tribalisms such as “Ooh Ahh/Up the Ra” and

“From the mountains to the sea/ Palestine will

be free”. These protest chants are often

intended to express simply a form of

nationalism or solidarity that is entirely

independent of support for terrorism or for

extinction of another tribe. Those enmeshed in

controversy for using these chants have

typically suggested that they were genuinely

unaware of the inﬂammatory meanings of their

words for people in another tribe.

It has been the furtive objective of racist

agitators to exploit this feature of language to

insert their catchphrases into national

discourses and normalise them through

repetition. Racist agitators use social media to

insinuate their catchphrases into national

discourses and to normalise them though

repetition.

What was once unsayable becomes

acceptable. This process is shifting the Overton

window, of what is acceptable in the civilised

discourse.

Venting phrases with a double meaning

allows the speaker to switch from the literal to

the coded meaning at convenience; a tactic

that is both dishonest and cowardly: allowing

the speaker to escape from any responsibility

for the meaning inferred.

It is immaterial to the inherent racism if this

transmutation occurs consciously or

unconsciously — because the strategy seeks

to blur the distinction between

What was once unsayable

becomes acceptable

circumstance-driven personal beliefs and the

racism that may be perceived to be by others.

When racist euphemisms become

normalised, neutral words can ﬁnd themselves

in the service of calculated racism. Media often

report the literal words of anti-immigrant

protestors without sucient context to show

that the chants or the slogans may not be

intended as appropriations of the racism of

others.

Because racism is inherently nasty,

alienating and ‘othering’ it can only gain

acceptance among reasonable people if it is

expressed in language that disguises its

nature.

Once racists have loaded a phrase, it can

appear racist even in the hands of non-racists.

This sleight has been manifest before our eyes

in recent months in Ireland.

Racism emerges from hatred and fear. The

former is the more noxious motivation, but, it

is of no consolation to the victims of racism if

the latter is the cause of their suering. Fear

can be both genuine and misplaced at the

same time; even if a fear (of foreigners) is

genuinely felt, if it is irrational or misplaced,

then it is not and cannot be an excuse for the

violence and racism we have witnessed in

recent months.

Hate-driven racist agitators down the ages

have deliberately stoked fear of foreigners and

they use the fear that they generate to advance

their insidious agenda.

There are enough racists deliberately using

euphemisms without well-meaning but fearful

people making themselves indistinguishable

from haters.

Compassion and sympathy are insucient

to stop the slip into racism. Clarity and care are

necessary to prevent us falling into the trap the

racists have set for us.

CULTURE

PHRASES RACISTS TRY TO INTRODUCE INTO

PUBLIC DISCOURSE

WHAT RACISTS REALLY MEAN WHEN THEY USE

THOSE PHRASES

Ireland says no I say no

No to open borders No to immigrants

Irish lives matter Black lives matter less than Irish

Ireland is full – (even though there are 163,000

empty homes in Ireland)

I don’t like how many foreigners are here

Men of military age / Unvetted men - (Referring

to adult men, often ﬂeeing persecution or war)

Muslim men

Illegal immigrants – (referring to people

availing of the legal asylum process)

Asylum seekers

I’m afraid for the safety of women and children Foreign-looking men are all rapists

Common-sense policies Racist policies

I object to unsuitable accommodation for

asylum seekers

I object to any accommodation for asylum

seekers

Local protestors Local protestors and far-right agitators

Protests 1. Intimidation, 2. Public order oences

Failure to consult Failure to allow me a veto

I’m not racist I am racist but I want to hide that fact