We all know that the west uses two different words for the same thing depending on where it is happening.

e.g. Secret Police vs Plainclothes Officer
Regime vs Government

Can we have a compilation thread of these words? I am probably using many of them unconsciously without critical examination.

  • Sickos [they/them, it/its]@hexbear.net
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    10 months ago
    • Bribery/corruption vs lobbying
    • Oligarch vs job creator
    • Warlord vs leader/general
    • Preventable deaths are social murder
    • Propaganda vs public relations
    • Terrorist/guerilla and freedom fighter just depends on which side of the violence you’re on
    • Any use of the term “extremist”
    • And the worst is that they call their fascists “neoliberals”

    Mandatory Viewing

    Optional Reading

    • throwhimintheriver
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      10 months ago

      Fascism and neoliberalism aren’t mutually exclusive, though I see what you’re getting at.

    • bloubz
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      10 months ago

      The video playback doesn’t really work

  • Soul_Greatsword
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    10 months ago

    Prime minister and Supreme leader are literally synonyms yet have such wildly different implications.

      • Magos_Galactose
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        10 months ago

        Propaganda vs Public Relation Campaigns

        From what I understand, Chinese use the same word for both.

        • TrudeauCastroson [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          10 months ago

          Used to be that way in English.

          Edward Bernays, the original corporate propagandist/father of modern PR, used to work with companies when they were still called “propaganda departments” instead of “PR Departments”. His book is even called “Propaganda”

  • Trudge [Comrade]OP
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    10 months ago

    I’ll start the thread.

    Billionaire vs Oligarch
    Custom vs Ritual
    Freedom fighter vs Terrorist
    Anime vs Cartoon

  • big_spoon
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    10 months ago

    oligarchy - entrepreneurs

    invasion - humanitarian intervention

    indoctrination - common sense

    surveillance - CCTV

    attacking free press - defending national security

    racial profiling/transphobia - stopping cultural marxism

    freedom fighters - terrorists

    united states - america

    football - soccer

  • Black AOC
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    10 months ago

    our ‘hard-hitting journalism’, their ‘state-funded propaganda’

  • brain_in_a_box [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    10 months ago

    Their authoritarianism vs our law and order.

    Their warcrime vs our collateral damage.

    Their dictator vs our leader.

    Their reeducation vs our rehabilitation.

    Their state media vs our public media.

  • ProfessorAdonisCnut [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    10 months ago

    There’s just a kajillion of them:

    Their Stasi Vs our neighborhood watch

    Their whataboutism Vs our providing important context

    Their unaccountable regime security forces Vs our police officer who feared for his safety

    Their re-education Vs our cult deprogramming

    Their GULAG Vs our federal bureau of prisons

    Their prison camps Vs our prisons

  • communal_programmer7
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    10 months ago

    Defector/refugee - Illegal immigrant
    Community service - Forced labor
    Liberation - Occupation
    Enhanced interrogation techniques - Torture

    • ComradeSalad
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      10 months ago

      Community service is not forced labour 💀

      You mean prison labour is forced labour. Community service is when they make dumbass teens arrested for something like vandalism or underage drinking, go and work at a soup kitchen, or pick up garbage off the side of the road as punishment.

        • ComradeSalad
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          10 months ago

          Picking up garbage and serving homeless people food is forced labour?

          Calling those things “forced labour” is horrifically derogatory to those who actually have to work farms, factories, construction work, and other extreme labour while in prison.

          You realize that a lot of socialist rehabilitative work is community service correct?

          • MinekPo1 [She/Her]
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            10 months ago

            So you are saying US prisons are bad for forcing inmates to preform labor while advocating for community service?

            (/s hopefully, obviously )

      • SovereignState
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        10 months ago

        I got hit with 24 hours of community service when I was a teen. Worked it off on a library, not bad. Actually wanted to get a full time job there.

        • ComradeSalad
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          10 months ago

          That’s really nice, libraries are vital parts of the community, and volunteering or doing service at one is a very good thing.

          • SovereignState
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            10 months ago

            It was around Halloween time. I spent my time putting loaned books back on the shelves in their proper place for the most part, but also got to spray-paint some branches and hang spooky decorations! I remember it rather fondly.

            Got to take as many smoke breaks as I liked, too, lol. Was not a fan of digging the weeds out of the flowerbed, however.

            If and when I am ever offered the opportunity to retire, I believe I would very much like to be a librarian in a rural area.

  • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    10 months ago

    “The adults in the room” versus “the unaccountable ruling class and their puppets”

    THEY ARE THE SAME FUCKING THING

    • ComradeSalad
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      10 months ago

      Aren’t security forces supposed to refer more to paramilitary units, such as military unites forced pushed into civilian policing services? Like occupation forces, civil protection units, or martial law units.

      Or the other definition is police and military units working in concert.

      Those feel a bit above the role of police alone.

  • 201dberg
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    10 months ago

    The various ways they avoid using “oligarch” for westerns. Western Billionaire, entrepreneur, etc, whereas it’s always “Russian Oligarchs.”