LL-L "Labels" 2002.10.25 (05) [E]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 25.OCT.2002 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: George M Gibault gmg at direct.ca
Subject: political speak

Hi all!

Thanks for the comments on Hanseatic north German and stage speech.
Fascinating! I have also heard that Prussians tend to pronounce high German
more tensely and with a higher pitch in general than do south Germans. Is
this true? and if so, is it limited to Prussia or is it a general north
German feature?

Has anyone else got examples of "quirky" political speecch/informal
political labeling? My examples:
a "lefty" is a usually affectionate or friendly/humorous term for a left
handed person - but a "leftie" is a hostile term for a political left
winger - yet I don't recall ever hearing of a "righty" or a "rightie."

Calling someone "a Green" is merely descriptive, but "a greenie" is hostile.
Calling them "green" adjectivily is ambiguous - it could mean inexperienced
or jealous - and might not be a political label at all. "yellow" means
cowardly and by extension a "yellow dog" contract means an agreement not to
join a union as part of the terms of employment. (The Gaelic for yellow dog
"cu buaidh" is an extreme insult). If you call someone "red all over" you
probably mean that they are embarresed - but you might mean to insult them
as being a communist - and if you say they are "a red" you definitely are.
You are in the "pink" if you are healthy - but being "pink" means
pro-communist (without admitting to it) There is a political "red" as a
noun - but no reddie. No-one is a "pink" either politically - or a "pinkie"
either - they are a "pinko!" "Blue" as an personal adjective means sad - but
in Quebec it can mean a political conservative - and "true blue" definitely
means this throughout Canada. In Quebec a conservative can even be called "a
blue." Among political insiders, (but not yet the general population) blue
is increasingly used both as a noun and as an adjective to mean "right
wing(er) as distinct from "red" as an adjective to mean "moderate
conservative!" as distinct from a blue - and as short for "red Tory." No-one
calls themselves "a red" - this is still means communist - but they might
well say "I'm a red Tory" as this is purely descriptive. Amazingly enough,
there are even finer gradations - as some say "powder blue" for slightly
right wing conservatives - and "powder pink" (note: NOT "powder red") for
slightly left of conservative centre. (If that isn't quirky enough "reform"
or "a reformer" in Canadian political jargon means a right wing populist
(usually to the right of blue Tories!) and while "progressive" or "a
progressive" still means left wing - the official name of the oldest and
formerly largest conservative
party is the "Progressive Conservative" party. So a"Progressive
Conservative" no emphasis means a member or supporter of this party, but
PROGRESSIVE conservative means "red Tory." To most media and general
Canadian population "Tory" means Progressive Conservative as a description -
but some Eastern European descended conservative friends of mine claim it
sounds like Anglo exclusivity to them - and they refuse to use it -
believing it is derogatory (no pun intended). In the US "Tory" means someone
who opposed the American Revolution - but a conservative Democrat can be
called either a Tory Democrat (at least in some southern states - or - once
more with colour - a blue dog or blue dog Democrat!"

Left wing political insiders are also colouring their world -as brown is
emerging as an adjective and sometimes a noun for socialists of the less
green or anti-green faction. (The educated public knows all about red
Tories - but hasn't heard of "brown" politics yet - only of "brownshirts"
which means Nazi or neo-Nazi. "White" is merely racially descriptive - but
"whitie" is insulting - and "white sheets" are Ku Klux Klan or other white
racists. ("skinhead" has the same meaning - but many skinheads are
anarchists and really hate this usage) I have not heard other colour words
used politically - but "orange" or "orangeman" means Irish/Ulster Protestant
or one descended or in sympathy with them - and this could certainly have
political connotations. (The opposite is "green" meaning Irish Catholic of
course - and having nothing to do with ecology.) "Environmentalist" is a
broader term than "green" ("Green" is an official party  name) and non-Green
environmentalists are starting to call themselves "conservationists" (the
old term for environmentalist) to distinguish themselves from  those they
consider too extreme who they label as "preservationists."

Sometimes a term starts as hostile - but is expropriated by its targets. I
suspect this of "brown" in the non-green socialist context. A clear example
in Canada is "Grit" - coined by the Liberals as a self description ("men of
clear grit") it became archaic and is now used only by their blood foes the
Tories.
Those who support the competing newer and larger conservative party were
"reform" as an adjective, or  the "reformers" previously mentioned - but now
are "alliance" (from the Canadian Alliance) USED AS AN ADJECTIVE. On the
other hand, some people who are alliance will say "I'm reform" or "reform at
heart" to emphasize their populist or western regional roots/sympathies.

Black is a descriptive racial term but to left wingers "a black Tory" used
to mean a really fierce or right wing one. To everyone else, it means a Tory
of African descent. (one was a federal Cabinet Minister)
I have heard "schwarz" means conservative in Germany. Is this still the
case?

In U.S. politics as well as Canadian "thumper" short for "Bible thumper" is
a hostile term for conservative Christian while So-con at least in Canada,
now means "social conservative" as opposed to "libertarian" which means
conservative only on fiscal matters. The opposite of a Reaganite  is a Rino
(Republican in name only - perhaps a take off on the party symbol being an
elephant). One is a Bush Republican or a McCain Republican - but not
apparently a "Bushite" the corredct term appears to nbe "Bushie" - but oddly
enough this diminutive is NOT derogatory (perhaps a case of reverse
takeover, like "brown"? People still call themselves Thatcherites (even in
Canada). "Winger" has become shorthand for a right winger in Canada - I
don't know about the states. We do call Liberals "libs" - with no value
judgement attached - but we don't call conservatives "cons." A "libber" is
not a Liberal, but a women's liberationist" - and "libber" IS a derogatory
term.

I have heard the Democrats called the dems - but I don't think the
Republicans get called the "Reps" - as with the noun "pink" - a flower -
probably because the semantic territory is fully occupied.

In British Columbia we currently have a rather laughable dilemma. Having a
right wing provincial BC Liberal government, and a centre left Liberal Party
of Canada  federal government (to which the BC Liberal Party is not
affiliated - the adjective "Liberal" has two totally different (some would
argue virtually opposite) meanings, depending on the context. Someone here
can literally say "I'm a Liberal - but of course I hate the Liberals."
(Meaning the other ones).

Americans visiting our province used to get even more confused when we had a
right wing government called "Social Credit" and later a socialist
government called the "New Democrats" - which in the US meant less liberal
more centrist democrats!

Is it just us - or are there quirky political labels elsewhere too?

Alle die beste                  George

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From: R. F. Hahn sassisch at yahoo.com
Subject: Labels

Tschortsch,

> I have also heard that Prussians tend to pronounce high German more
tensely
> and with a higher pitch in general than do south Germans. Is this true?
and if
> so, is it limited to Prussia or is it a general north German feature?

Vere on ers haff you hert zat?!  Are you shua it isn't bääst on a Hollyvoot
monocled stereotype or on ze affektet speetsch mote in Tscherman movies off
ze Tventies unt Sörties?  ("Prussian" = "Kaiserreich"?)  Vateva you are
talking about, I don't sink it exists in zis dää unt äätsche, if it eva
existet in ze först plääs.

> high German more tensely
> and with a higher pitch

Jawohl! Zat's vy it's kollt "High Tschörmen"! :)

Greetinks!
Reinhard/Ron

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