Political euphemisms are used to describe commonly understood concepts so that they align with one’s political viewpoint. Sometimes the political agenda embedded in the phrase is obvious and strident. Often times a term is used to make an unpalatable concept seem acceptable, if not desirable. Most insidious is when a euphemism is used to conceal the reality of the concept and make it appear to be something it most definitely is not.

Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language“

Frequently we aren’t even aware of the political undertones embedded in the phrases and words we use because we are not the one’s who developed them. They were handed to us predefined and packaged. We are a 24 hour mass media culture living at a frenetic pace where fast news has taken on the same qualities of fast food: pre-shaped, pre-packaged, easy to get, easy to eat, predictable flavor, and requiring minimal thought or effort while leaving you satisfied even though it was devoid of nutritional content.

Think about political euphemisms like a gift that is handed to us. What is the gift? It is a bare, neutral concept that comes gift wrapped. If someone handed you a gift inside a beautifully wrapped container with bright colors, ribbons, and attached balloons, you’d likely be happy and perhaps even excited to accept it simply based on how wonderful it appears. How would you react if that same gift was wrapped in used, greasy, newsprint that smelled strongly of fish and stained your fingers with ink when you held it? Are you still excited to accept that gift? Keep in mind that inside the gift wrap is the exact same bare, neutral concept. Perhaps that gift is something you’d like but it’s wrapped in such an unappealing way that it’s hard to imagine wanting whatever is actually inside. Maybe the gift is something you really don’t want but it’s wrapped so attractively that you feel compelled to accept it. This is how politicians use language to manipulate public discourse.

The political euphemism glossary, which will be non-partisan and built gradually, will be a catalog of the tools, words, and phrases used by political minds to shape how we think or worse, lull us into such a complacency we fail to critically think at all.

The first euphemism to enter the glossary is below. Click on the word for more information.

Pro-Choice