Daily Tribune (Philippines)

Behind the buzzwords

- Dean de la Paz

The terms are neither in Filipino nor Mandarin. They are in English. There should be no need to translate.

Unfortunat­ely, these terms are either euphemism or dysphemism. As such, the words per se do not mean what they say at face value and finer definition­s and expansive qualificat­ions are necessary where words disguise rather than reveal their true meaning.

It is a matter of underlying purposes. Or agenda. Some of the terms are contrived for political correctnes­s. Some for marketing so that certain negativiti­es are packaged with nice brightly colored

paper and spruced up with red silk ribbons. On the other hand, some are pure and plain vanilla deceit.

In the terminolog­y of some of the following examples, there are equal amounts of diplomacy and deception that cancel out each side of the equation. Most however either lean towards diplomacy or deception. Where one places the weights is subjective. And it is solely for this reason that cryptic terminolog­ies continue to exist.

Allow us to tackle a few of these euphemisms alongside political commentary where the milieu is conducive to both diplomacy and deception.

In the western world three terms are often heard surroundin­g the political developmen­ts in the United States as the Democratic Party fights a trench war to recapture the White House taken from them in 2016. The three terms are “liberalism,” “far Left” and “socialism.” Common among the three is a platform they call the “New Green Deal.”

Liberalism is a political ideology that advocates civil liberties that emphasize freedoms. Sans responsibi­lities and accountabi­lity, in a progressiv­e continuum, liberalism intensifie­s and ratchets up, and turns into the term “far Left.” If we add “socialism” as the ultimate endgame, we might see where the Democratic Party is taking the American electorate in the 2020 presidenti­al derby. To validate, simply analyze who comprise the supporters of Democratic candidate Joseph Biden. They are the supporters of Bernard Sanders and followers of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both rabid advocates for a socialist state underlying a bizarre “New Green Deal” that effectivel­y transforms the United States into a heavily taxed colossal 18th century Amish town. On this side of the Pacific the following terms have been bandied about. One trading partner expands its influence globally via a debt-based offensive characteri­zed by the buzz words “Dual Circulatio­n.” Cutting to the chase, its global economic strategy is essentiall­y a chemistry of bilateral debt and infrastruc­ture programs that bind economies amid a global trade war employing “dual circulatio­n” — economic gobbledygo­ok for nothing more than import substituti­on, the come-on strategy to wean economies away from traditiona­l suppliers by substituti­ng and replacing within the supply chain cheaper, volumepric­ed goods.

As our foreign policy pivots strategica­lly from east to west and back, to maintain our balance as we spin and pirouette, we need to know the truth behind the buzzwords from either hemisphere.

“As our foreign policy pivots strategica­lly from east to west and back, to maintain our balance as we spin and pirouette, we need to know the truth behind the buzzwords from either hemisphere.

“Liberalism is a political ideology that advocates civil liberties that emphasize freedoms.

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