Orwell must have been psychic

[Monkeyleg]

This has nothing to do with any issue in particular, just the language.

Yesterday I got to thinking about all of the terminology that's been twisted to make things more palatable to folks who would otherwise object.

The phrase "illegal immigrants" is now "undocumented workers" or "out of status people".

"Abortion" is now "reproductive rights" or "women's healthcare".

"Government spending" is now "investments".

"Taxes" are "contributions".

"Released felons" are now "returning citizens".

"Terrorist acts" are "man-caused disasters".

"War" is "overseas contingency operation".

"Gay marriage" is now "same sex marriage".

"Raising taxes" is now "revenue enhancement".

"Printing money" is "quantitative easing".

"Torture" is "enhanced interrogation technique" (whether legal or illegal).

"Department budget freezes" are now "spending cuts".

The list goes on, but I'm amazed that politicians twist these words and nobody slaps them around. Orwell really was prescient.

[TommyGunn]

........ I'm amazed that politicians twist these words and nobody slaps them around. Orwell really was prescient.

If you distract their security contingent I'll be very happy to slap them around ..... 

[T.O.M.]

Monkeyleg, you missed one that drives me bonkers...

A criminal act is now often labeled as "domestic terrorism," especially if they use an "assault weapon."

[Nick1911]

"racism" is the one that kills me.  Every time I hear it, I think "Are they talking about someone who believes that racial differences produce an inherent superiority?"* 
The answer is almost always: nope. 

* http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

[TechMan]

ML, you are behind the times, according to the AP Style Book, re:

The phrase "illegal immigrants" is now "undocumented workers" or "out of status people".

According to the AP:

Except in direct quotations, do not use the terms illegal alien, an illegal, illegals or undocumented.

http://blog.ap.org/2013/04/02/illegal-immigrant-no-more/

[Blakenzy]

I said it before and I'll say it again. 1984 should not be labeled as fiction. If you want to know how far under statist tyranny we are, just read the book and [unbiasedly] compare with the present. It's a road-map manual of sorts.

Just to add to your Orwellian list, we also have the droning masses blindly accepting the never ending war with the faceless unreasonable "evil" people we so love to hate, eurasia, east asia... Iraq, Iran... what difference, at this point, does it make? 

"Torture" is "enhanced interrogation technique" (whether legal or illegal).

Even entertaining the possibility that participating in such activities could be legitimate.. it's telling. Or, "it's so legit that we need to destroy all evidence of it" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17990955

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.

It's arguable that we are in the future, always have been.

[JN01]

A criminal act is now often labeled as "domestic terrorism," especially if they use an "assault weapon."

And actual domestic terrorism is called "workplace violence".

[RoadKingLarry]

The phrase "illegal immigrants" is now "undocumented workers" or "out of status people".

Wouldn't it be more corret to label them as undocumented Democrats?

[RocketMan]

Wouldn't it be more corret to label them as undocumented Democrats?

Watching Leno, are you?  

[bedlamite]

ML, you are behind the times, according to the AP Style Book, re:  

According to the AP:
http://blog.ap.org/2013/04/02/illegal-immigrant-no-more/

From the link:

The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or the use of “illegal” to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that “illegal” should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally.

That's a double edged sword. We have yet to see how that applies to "illegal guns"

[Tallpine]

I do prefer undocumented guns.   

[zahc]

The language will eventually catch up, and we will lose more good words.

This has already happened with "well-regulated"...the word "regulate" originally had no political connotation, and "regulation" did not mean "law". It was a euphemism adopted by politicians as a gentler-sounding alternative to "dictate", etc. People eventually wise up, and now "regulate" means "to dictate with force". "Administrate" is right behind.

Eventually, the fact that "racist" originally meant "one who displays bigotry along phenotypical boundaries" will just be a curiousity for the etymology nerds, and the word itself will just be a meaningless, hollow insult.

I expect the word "fair" to flip its meaning completely within a hundred years. 

[Bigjake]

Missed one:  "Hate crime"

A standard crime made more-badder because the perpetrator may have been thinking unkind thoughts at the time. 

[drewtam]

[seeker_two]

+1x∞, drewtam.....

[roo_ster]

I think it is not necessarily either/or, but both being correct.  "Misbehave and BB will inflict pain.  Behave and BB will give you Bon-Bons to eat while watching reality TV."

[Blakenzy]

I agree, there are components of both. As a "human rancher" you need to implement the censorship and brutalization, but you also need the overt decadent distractions. Too much of either and there will not be a productive population around to reap taxes from.

BTW who would hate a CZ75?