"Polls say most Americans are content but cite crime as biggest worry", "Democrats and Republicans do battle over education reform", "Police attempt to restore order after Anti-Trade protestors turn violent", "Globalization best hope for poor nations to escape poverty", "U.S. Troops deployed to West Bubblephuck to restore stability", "ACME Anvil Co. becomes 5th company to cut 300,000 jobs this month, but unemployment remains stable at 4 percent".

How many of you have seen, heard, or read headlines like these in the news hundreds if not thousands of times? If you're anything like most people you've probably seen stories like these reported in 20(or less) second sound bites on TV or in the newspaper, sandwiched between advertisements for Paxil, Budweiser, and the latest Lexus. Deep down many of you have wondered, "what the hell are they talking about" and many you who thought you understood have only gotten half the story (if not the wrong story completely).

Well don't feel bad, a little confusion about the 'News' is natural (and by design) because the people on/in most of the TV, Radios, and Newspapers that receive wide circulation speak another language. It's a language called "Newspeak" (see George Orwell's 1984) and as proof of the trustworthy and helpful Playahata that I am, I have put together a dictionary of some of the more popular Newspeak terms to help you decipher those 'talking heads' on seemingly every station and news outlet, who pretend to inform you but usually leave out all the important stuff. So without further wait here are some newspeak terms whose definitions you need to know.

American: n, adj.(1) A native or inhabitant of America. (2) A citizen of the United States. (3) Of or relating to the United States of America or its people, language, or culture. (4) indigenous to North or South America. Used of plants and animals.

In Newspeak this is a slippery term which can have any of several meanings. It almost always refers to people that are American citizens, but depending on usage it may refer to very specific sections of American society. For instance, when statements are made regarding opinion polls or the alleged sentiments of 'Americans', they are usually referring to an upper class or upper middle class of the American citizenry. This was especially true over the approximately 8 years of 'economic boom' that preceded the current recession, when the rich got richer and everybody else got the shaft!

Communism: n.(1) A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members. (2a) A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people. (2b) The Marxist-Leninist version of Communist doctrine that advocates the overthrow of capitalism by the revolution of the proletariat.

When used in news coverage and general conversation, this word usually has almost nothing to do with its' actual definition and has negative connotations. This is true of the former Soviet Union, but especially of modern day China. China exhibits almost none of the basic principles of communism except for a centrally planned and 'state' run economy. China's working class is extremely large, disorganized, downtrodden, and virtually powerless. The only equality for many is the equality of low wages and the shared misery of the average person. In addition, the government of China is not controlled by the working class, and the products of the people's labor are primarily cheap imports for more 'developed' nations. Look for more of this with China's recent induction into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Democrat: n , adj.(1) An advocate of democracy. (2) Democrat A member of the Democratic Party of the United States.

When used with regard to the Democratic Party of the United States, this term refers to the less openly conservative branch of the American ruling class. Often characterized by rhetoric about standing up for 'working people' and the poor. This party usually attempts to solicit votes from women, the poor, persons in or near urban centers, and 'minority' groups, especially African-Americans who are seemingly unable to resist the urge to vote for this party regardless of office being run for or candidate offered.

Democracy: n.(1). Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives. (2) A political or social unit that has such a government. (3) The common people, considered as the primary source of political power. (4) Majority rule. (5) The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

This is one of my favorite Newspeak terms. It switches meanings depending on situation. In most developed and/or rich nations, particularly the United States, it simply means the right to vote. By my estimation in a true democracy several criteria would have to be met: (1) Freedom of speech and assembly. (2) Freedom of the press. (3) Freedom to organize political parties, field candidates, and campaign for office. (4) The absence of terror or intimidation in organization.

The U.S. is probably one of the better 'attempts' at democracy in the world however it is at best an attempt. An oligarchy (oil-igarchy) certainly, a plutocracy definitely, but true democracy remains a goal to be attained.

Using the U.S. as our model we can argue that criteria (4) is met for the most part. People may be resistant to change but on most occasions the military or police won't kidnap you from your home and permanently silence you for trying to organize for change (at least not yet). However criteria numbers (1), (2), and (3) are all lacking. There is some freedom of speech and press but for the most part unless you say what the owners of the media want you to say you can forget about getting on any major television networks, radio stations, or newspapers. Also criteria (3) is almost non-existent since the ability to campaign for office, especially, the highest office (President) is directly related to the ability to get campaign contributions from the wealthy. And guess what the wealthy want in return. In addition to this use, this term is also used when referring to poor countries who follow the directives of the rich nations and their business communities, regardless of how undemocratic these poor nations may be, in those cases they are called "aspiring or struggling democracies".

Free Trade: n.(1) International business not restrained by government interference or regulation, such as duties or tariffs.

In actual terms "Free Trade" is usually one-sided trade, characterized by the "freedom" of the wealthy to invest and extract profits in any manner they see fit which usually leads to a situation of dependency and increasingly un-payable debt for one side. Trade done under this moniker is usually detrimental to indigenous groups, small business, and occasionally the environment. It is also usually profitable and extremely beneficial to the richer and/or more powerful party involved. People against this kind of trade are often mischaracterized in newspeak as being against "Trade" which is intentionally misleading.

Globalization: n.(1) The increasing tendency toward an interconnected worldwide investment and business environment.

Despite the seemingly noble implications of this term it has very little to do with globalization in a true sense. This term has nothing to do with mutually beneficial trade agreements, cultural exchange, international cooperation, or ending xenophobia. It does however, have everything to do with domination of markets, institutions, and people by powerful transnational corporations. This term also has a lot to do with fostering dependency in poor or 'developing' countries and crushing their nascent industries. In addition, this term, also has a lot to do with cultural imperialism where many forms of media, particularly television and film, are owned by foreign-based companies.

Liberalization: v.(1) to make conditions of trade more conducive to "free trade" (see Free Trade). This term has basically only come into use in the past decade. It comes from the word liberal, which can mean free, hence the term refers to the act of making more "free".

Republican: n, adj.(1) one who belongs to the Republican Party of the United States (2) Of, relating to, or characteristic of a republic. (3) Favoring republic as the best form of government.

When used with regard to the Republican Party of the United States, it refers to the openly conservative and reactionary branch of the American ruling class. Often characterized by rhetoric about pulling oneself up 'by the bootstraps', self-reliance, and non-interference by the government (Non-interference on behalf of average people who are not rich). This party usually attempts to solicit votes from white males, Christian religious fanatics, the rich or upper-middle class, and non-minorities residing in rural areas.

Stability: n. (1)The state or quality of being stable, especially: (a) Resistance to change, deterioration, or displacement. (b) Constancy of character or purpose; steadfastness. (c) Reliability; dependability. (2) The ability of an object, such as a ship or aircraft, to maintain equilibrium or resume its original, upright position after displacement, as by the sea or strong winds.

In Newspeak this term is used to describe a nation, group, or institution that possess the all important quality of being dominated by or friendly to the financial or geopolitical interest of the United States or other rich/powerful nations and their respective business communities. For instance, when military action by a government in power, is required to put down a rebellion or quell a conflict that is dangerous to the business interest of the rich or powerful and their investments, this is referred to as "restoring stability to a region".

Terrorism: n. (1) The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

This is an especially hot term right now. It is usually used when referring to groups who believe in bombing and/or destroying property and/or people somewhat indiscriminately to induce fear or create unbearable difficulties for the institution, people, or nation being terrorized. Keep in mind that in newspeak the use of this term is highly restricted. Direct bombing, unilateral sanctions, arming, inciting, and/or funding groups of guerrillas or installing and supporting puppet governments that oppress and/or murder their own citizens is not terrorism so long as it is done by the United States or it's allies.

For instance, during the 1980's the U.S. armed and financed a murderous group or guerrillas in Nicaragua known as the Contras who terrorized the country's civilization population and attempted to overthrow the Sandinista run government. Some 30,000 civilians were estimated to have been killed in the conflict, but since the U.S. supported the Contras this was NOT terrorism.

When Saddam Hussein was a U.S. ally, prior to his invasion of Kuwait, and was using chemical weapons against his own people, he was not a terrorist or even a bad person, in Newspeak, and the United States support of his regime was not terrorism. Years later when the U.S. was no longer in need of his services they leveled many cities in Saddam's Iraq and imposed sanctions which have resulted in the deaths of possibly hundreds of thousands of civilians as well as continuing regular bombing raids for the past 11 years, but this is also NOT terrorism.

For more examples of non-terrorism see past and current U.S. support for regimes in Israel, Indonesia, and Iran as well as military interventions and/or support of regimes in much of the Caribbean( i.e., Grenada, Haiti, etc.), South America (virtually all of it), Africa (Congo, South Africa, etc.), and many other places. It is also important to note that terrorist groups have been known to metamorphosis into "freedom fighters" or "pro-democracy forces" when fed after midnight or when they can be used to further the goals of the U.S. (i.e., the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Northern Alliance (Afghanistan) ).

Unemployment: adj. (1) The state of being unemployed, especially involuntarily. (2) The percentage or number of people who are involuntarily unemployed. (3) Unemployment compensation.

Trust me you are going to be hearing this term a whole lot in the months, possibly years, to come. This term is usually used in reference to the unemployment rate, which is a deceptively low figure that only reflects those unemployed and actively looking for work. In other words if you've grown so discouraged that you've more or less stopped looking for work then you are not unemployed. If you work part time but would like to be working full time you are not unemployed. And if you are part 6 million persons either in U.S. prisons or under state supervision you are not unemployed. In a nutshell whatever the news says the unemployment rate is, in actuality it's a lot higher, and people's situations are more desperate.

This is by no means a complete listing of all newspeak terms, just some of the more important ones. As others arise or gain prominence I may update this dictionary. Feel free to refer back to this dictionary any time the news starts confusing you.

Released: November 2001

The views and opinions expressed herein by the author do not necessarily represent the opinions or position of Playahata.com.