A New Political Glossary

IN 1969, anti-war radical Abbie Hoffman was being prosecuted for conspiracy as part of the infamous Chicago Seven trial. After taking the witness stand to testify in his own defense, he was asked about his employment. Hoffman listed a variety of jobs, including stints as a campaign operative for Massachusetts anti-war candidates, publicity director for the NAACP, and an organizer for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

The prosecutor, a strait-laced U.S. Attorney named Richard Schultz, failed to understand Hoffman's answer. He wanted to know what Hoffman really did for "work."

"Can I ask for your definition of work?" Hoffman said. "Work is something you do for money isn't it, or for some other reason? I never worked, ever. If that's what work is, it is a dirty-four letter word."

Hoffman and Schultz had vastly different definitions of the word "work." For Schultz, it was how you made a living. For Hoffman, it was how you spent your life.

In 1988, the battle between left and right over definition continues; unfortunately, the right is winning. Gov. Michael S. Dukakis has been deservedly lambasted for refusing to offer a positive definition of a "liberal" or for failing to explain why members of the American Civil Liberties Union are patriotic. George Bush painted a picture of liberals as hairy, bug-eyed perverts. Dukakis held his palette for him.

THE battle for definition needs to be fought over more than the words "liberal" and "conservative." Many terms and expressions used as part of the common American political dialogue contain a prior subjective definition which skews their meaning automatically to the right. During the next four years, the right wing will continue to hold the language of politics hostage. The following is a glossary of the continuing political re-definitions of some old words.

CAPITALISM: this economic system is supposedly based upon the individual's right to the fruits of his or her labor. Its opponents are either stupid or unpatriotic. Actually, "capitalism" is a system where power is concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of multinational corporations. The tax code and the structure of the economy are used as tools to exploit the average worker and to benefit the wealthy. Control of property and essential resources are left to private businessmen and self-interested merchants. This system should be called ECONOMIC VIOLENCE.

DEMOCRATIZATION: this has been the justification for Republican foreign policy initiatives in the Third World. It is loosely based upon the Monroe Doctrine and its alleged goal is to keep Communism out of the Western hemisphere. In reality, this is the rationale used by Republican administrations to support right-wing dictatorships in developing nations. This often means--as in the case of Nicaragua--trying to overthrow a democratically-elected government and replacing it with a band of right-wing mercenaries. This is the strategy for increasing AMERICAN CORPORATE INVESTMENT IN THE THIRD WORLD.

LAW AND ORDER: this term is used to stress the need for greater protection against violent crime. The expression was made popular by ex-President Richard M. Nixon and resurrected by Vice President George Bush. Nixon used the term "law and order" to create fear of race riots, rather than addressing the deep social problems--such as poverty and urban decay--that helped cause the riots. George Bush also used the issue of "law and order" for cheap political advantage. Bush fomented racial hatred and planted the seeds of terrifying nightmares of evil black rapists climbing in the windows of suburban homes. This is BLATANT RACISM.

MAINSTREAM VALUES: this is an expression used to conjure nostalgic images of the nuclear family and a dog living in a house with a white picket fence down the street from the Cleavers and the Nelsons. These are also the values of the wealthy, protestant, heterosexual white males who are fighting to preserve cultural hegemony in the United States. "Mainstream values" are antithetical to the Equal Rights Amendment, affirmative action, reproductive rights, civil liberties, and civil rights for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. This is CULTURAL OPPRESSION.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: this will be the type of effort that the Bush administration will be trying to make when they reverse campaign promises and raise taxes. This is when the administration will blame a tax hike on the Democratic Congress, or claim that economic circumstances are vastly different than during the election. This should be called PROPAGANDA.

VICE PRESIDENT: although a ceremonially significant position, the vice presidency has often been the political reserve for lapdogs, thieves, and demagogues. Under Republican administrations this position has been held by such people as Bush, Spiro T. Agnew and Nixon. In light of Dan Quayle's upcoming inaugural, this office should be renamed COURT JESTER.