Euphemism in Politics


    The art of deceptive language is one of the most powerful tools that a public speaker can have at his disposal. The euphemism is a type of deceptive speech that has been proven to be particularly useful in the world of politics. It can effectively hide the flaws and disadvantages of an agenda or give a false impression of altruism. In George Orwell’s 1984, the Party serves as a perfect example of politicians making use of euphemism. They utilize language and terminology that traditionally hold positive connotations, and attach negative and malicious ideas behind them. The contradictory language causes Oceanian citizens to be under the impression that the Party works for them. The use of euphemism as a political technique persists today, although not to the same extent or for the same goals. The NCTE Doublespeak award recognizes those individuals that utilize deceptive language, especially if they have a large target audience. And who would have a larger audience than the president of the United States himself? Carol Platt Liebau’s article, “Obama Uses Euphemism to Obscure His Unpopular Agenda” describes some of the euphemisms President Obama employed to describe recent government action. Additionally, Emily Heil discusses in her article, “In debate, Obama, Romney use euphemisms for ‘liar’” used language to enhance his own image in a public debate. Thus, for his efforts in presenting a vague agenda to the American public, President Barack Obama is hereby nominated as a modern-day recipient of the NCTE Doublespeak Award. President Obama utilizes euphemistic speech to protect his political image, whereas the Party takes a more nefarious approach by portraying a false image of their political convictions.
    The Party’s euphemistic speech and doctrines disillusion Oceanian citizens into believing that it works for their benefit. The names of the four subdivisions of the Party, as they are known in Newspeak: Minitrue, Minipax, Miniluv, and Miniplenty, are some examples of the many euphemisms utilized by the Party. Winston describes: “the Ministry of Truth..concerned itself with [false] news...the Ministry of Peace..concerned itself with war; the Ministry of Love ...maintained law and order; and the Ministry of Plenty...was responsible for [misrepresenting] economic affairs” (Orwell 4). The positive connotations behind the departments’ names suggest that they improve the quality of life in Oceania. However, it is clear that the functions of each of the government departments directly contradict the ideals behind their name. In effect, the Party displays a philanthropic facade to unsuspecting proles and outer Party members, masking their greed and malice, and prolonging their rule. Another example of the Party’s use of euphemism is in its own language, Newspeak. While the primary function of Newspeak is to limit thought and self-expression, it also perpetuates language that is deceptive and misleading. One such word in the Newspeak dictionary is ‘unperson.’ With regards to an unperson, Winston describes: “He did not exist. He had never existed” (Orwell 46). When the Thought Police deemed it necessary, they ‘vaporized’ him -- killed him and erased all records of his existence. The cruelty contained in this act is hidden beneath an ambiguous word -- unperson. It could plausibly be interpreted as anything that is not a person. By using such vague a word as unperson, the Party avoids admitting to manslaughter. Another example of a euphemism that can be found in the Newspeak lexicon is ‘rectify.’ In his work, Winston is constantly required to rectify historical documents. He reveals that, “to rectify” was the official phrase for “necessary to alter” (Orwell 38). When Winston rectifies documents of the past, he is actually falsifying history according to the Party’s demands. Thus, while the term rectify as it is known today means to correct, in practice it means the opposite. However, by making use of the term, the Party is able to enhance its philanthropic image and gain support for its rule. All in all, the Party utilizes euphemistic names and language to present itself as benevolent and altruistic, thereby increasing support from the Oceanian population and maintaining a totalitarian control.

            President Obama makes use of euphemistic speech in order to protect his political and personal image. To mention but a few of the reasons why Obama’s presidency has become unpopular: the American economy is in a stalled state, Obamacare has experienced several delays, the Bush era policies against terrorism have been continued and expanded, and the resulting loss of public trust due to these problems. In order to downplay the criticism he faces, President Obama employed euphemistic language that deceitfully attempted to leave the public unaware of government action (spending). For example, Carol Liebau wrote in her article, “Obama Uses Euphemism to Obscure his Unpopular Agenda,” that when discussing drone attacks against suspected terrorists, such vague phrases as “‘overseas contingency operations’, ‘man-caused disasters’, ‘countering violent extremism’ and...’kinetic military action’” were used. These phrases did not clearly inform the public about government actions in order to prevent Obama and his administration from coming under fire. This is because engaging in anti-terrorist military action would result in an increase in taxes on the American population. Thus, President Obama hid the drawbacks in his political agenda through the use of euphemistic language. In addition, Obama employed euphemisms to enhance his personal image. This can be seen in his debates with Mitt Romney prior to his re-election. In order to maintain a professional demeanor, Obama never directly discredited Romney by accusing him of lying. Emily Heil reported in his article, “In debate, Obama, Romney uses euphemisms for ‘liar’” that the president used phrases such as, “The math doesn’t work; the fact is; Governor Romney, you keep on trying to...airbrush history” (Heil 2). Obama kept his speech civil in order to present himself in an experienced, mature, and brighter light. It was meant to draw the support of the public, while also undermining Romney’s claims. In brief, Obama used euphemistic language to ease public backlash against his agenda, as well as to present himself as a professional figure during personal discussions.

            The Party and President Obama share both similarities and differences in their uses of euphemism. The fundamental difference between the Party’s euphemisms and those of the Obama administration lies in their purpose. Put bluntly, the Party uses euphemisms as means to lie to Oceanian citizens. They use names and language to represent ideas that directly contradict their traditional meaning. Oceanians are led to believe that the Ministry of Plenty improves the stalled economy and the Ministry of Peace works to emerge as victors in the endless war. Outer Party members are forced to apply doublethink; they must think they are “rectifying” historical documents when they are actually falsifying them. The Party’s use of contradicting language (lies) not only keeps the masses in the shadows about its true intents, but also gives them a false idea of the Party as their altruistic leaders. On the other hand, President Obama used euphemistic language as a means to obscure his agenda, as opposed to falsifying it. Obama’s past failures have made the American public critical of his agenda. When a plan requires government spending or an increase in taxation, the president uses vague phrases to avoid directly stating the disadvantages of the plan. This is meant to prevent public backlash, as well as to persuade Congress to pass the legislation. Although the public hears a biased presentation of a plan, they are not lied to. It is safe to say the Obama administration’s euphemistic speech is more moral than that of the Party. Both political organizations share similarities in their euphemistic language, however. For example, they are both selfish in that they enhance their own political image. As political groups, they use language that presents them in a positive light, so as to improve their approval amongst citizens. In addition, the ambiguity of the language of both groups helps them avoid making forthright statements which would be easier for the masses to find flaws in. Overall, both the Party and the Obama administration employ euphemisms to obscure and protect their political image; the Party goes further with their deception, however, by lying to their citizens through the use of directly contradicting names and language.

            The frequent use of euphemistic doublespeak in politics has become a serious modern-day issue. In the world of 1984, the Party’s deception shows that keeping the masses in the dark about its true motives and the world around them robs them of their fundamental freedoms and rights. Today, the NCTE Doublespeak award makes the public more sensitive towards the use of doublespeak in the world around them. This award shows that even those speakers that advocate for change and strive to create better conditions in the future resort to linguistic deception when there are hitches in their agendas. Despite this fact, the president’s doublespeak has reached the ears of hundreds of millions of Americans. He has been able to draw a large portion of the American population’s attention away from the inefficiency of the government. Although Barack Obama’s euphemistic speech doesn’t hold the same malicious intents and purposes behind the curtains as the Party’s, it is important to take a step back and consider how modern-day politicians manipulate their audience through the complex medium known as language.

Works Cited

Heil, Emily. "In Debate, Obama, Romney Use Euphemisms for ‘liar’." Washington Post. The
        Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

Liebau, Carol P. "Obama Uses Euphemism to Obscure His Unpopular Agenda." Townhall.com.
        Townhall, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984: A Novel. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1961. Print.