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To be clear, the terms 'white nationalist' and 'white supremacist' are not offensive. It's the ideology signified by those terms that's abhorrent, racist, & subhuman.
By trying to cast discussion involving those terms as offensive, King is trying to block debate among citizens.
By trying to cast discussion involving those terms as offensive, King is trying to block debate among citizens.
Casting the TERMS themselves as offensive is a way to control and silence any debate on the topic, moving it into the realm of non-polite conversation; preventing someone from applying that label to legit supremacists restricts use of the less loaded terms from debates,
which then drives participants to use more loaded terms, like 'literal nazis.'
This fits with the RW tradition of making opponents seem irascible and unhinged through use of exaggerated terms.
This fits with the RW tradition of making opponents seem irascible and unhinged through use of exaggerated terms.
And by keeping these terms out of the vernacular, King aims to accomplish a forced unity with those supremacists and mainstream society; this excerpt from Mein Kampf illustrates the need to prevent division amongst a group to promote infiltration of that ideology.
If you're interested in understanding and fighting back against these dynamics, I highly recommend reading Norman Fairclough's "Language and Power" - he's provided it to the public, free of charge, here. You don't have to sign up.
researchgate.net/publication/49…
researchgate.net/publication/49…
