- The Guardian
- Issue #2208
Access to
Like ‘engage with,’ ‘have access to’ is a great word for implying that something is happening, where really nothing is going on. Veteran Weasel Words contributor, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has defended Australia’s ‘alliance’ with the US, saying “It enables us to have access to a range of capability that Australia would not have access to.” Does this access mean we control the US bombers, submarines, missiles and destroyers we host? Don’t be silly.
For a Weaselly bonus, Wong also said that the alliance protects our sovereignty. That’s like jumping into a pool and telling the world you’re just drying off.
Dealing with (climate change)
Speaking of questions, some spoilsports tried to spoil Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to Palau by asking why his government keeps on approving new fossil fuel projects in the face of climate change getting more catastrophic by the day. Peevishly, Albanese promised reporters that the government was “dealing with” climate change. If throwing petrol on a burning house counts as “dealing with” the fire, he’s not wrong.
Groupthink
Star AFL coach Alistair Clarkson made a jolly joke about sexual assault to some women about to share a lift with him and some other men. Instead of chuckling appreciatively, the women complained. Clarkson has complained about “groupthink.”
Groupthink means people are afraid to have their own opinions. For Clarkson, it means a group of people found his joke sexist and perhaps threatening but all of them are wrong, and it was really funny. Sure ‘Clarko,’ everyone else is wrong.
Anti
Not so much a word as a prefix, ‘anti’ is weaselly when used to misrepresent a ‘pro’ that you don’t like. So measures to improve life for people of colour become ‘anti-white’ to those who don’t want black and brown people to have a fair go.
Matt Canavan, the National Party’s culture wars fan has responded to boys attacking female teachers by calling respectful relationships lessons “anti-boy.” It’s kind of like how speeding fines are anti-driver.
Women of Australia are on notice: don’t do anything to imply that men are less than totally perfect when Matt Canavan’s around, he’ll get all emotional.
Erased
Erasure is definitely a real thing. It’s what the US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is doing to Black People and women in the US military, tearing down portraits and sacking people.
The weaselly use of erased is like the weaselly use of “silenced.” You’re not silenced because your ideas aren’t the first item on news broadcasts, you’re just not as important as the stuff they report.
Former Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds, not content with successfully suing rape-victim Brittany Higgins for defamation, has sent legal threats to try to get hold of the script of a film, Silenced, that features Higgins but doesn’t mention Reynolds at all. Reynolds told The Australian that the film had ”erased” her defamation claim.
No, Linda, you’re not being ‘erased,’ you’re just not what the movie is about.
Making clear
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce was recently grumbling about work from home (WFH) legislation “which business has made clear is unworkable.”
“Made clear” here doesn’t mean the Victorian Chamber of Commerce has proved anything about WFH laws. It doesn’t mean they’re right. All it means is that they’ve said what they think repeatedly and as far as the Victorian Chamber of Commerce is concerned, that settles the matter.
