{"id":6781,"date":"2017-05-12T11:20:59","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T15:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ioadvisory.com\/?p=6781"},"modified":"2020-06-19T14:37:16","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T18:37:16","slug":"coded-language-dog-whistle-expressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioadvisory.com\/blog\/coded-language-dog-whistle-expressions\/","title":{"rendered":"Coded Language and Dog Whistle Expressions"},"content":{"rendered":"

A while back, a business associate reached out to me with an urgent and problematic situation. She is a foreign-trained professional, a woman of colour, and she speaks perfect English with an accent. She was stumped by a situation and she knew I\u2019d have some ideas. The problem was shrouded in coded language and dog whistle expressions.<\/p>\n

This woman, let\u2019s call her Vashti, owns a small business. She’d been invited to be featured in a video about the benefits of doing business in her city and the advantages of joining a local business association. The problem was that she had received a suggested script that made her feel uncomfortable and more notably she was insulted.<\/p>\n

Coded language – words can pack a punch<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

When I heard the details, I instantly identified with her concerns. I recognized a lot of coded language and dog whistle expressions. As a psychologist and a woman of colour, I know plenty about both. Let me explain. Coded language is when people use words that on the surface seem neutral, but they are consciously or subconsciously intended to mean something else. For example, the line, \u201cMake America Great Again<\/a>\u201d can be taken at face value, or it can be interpreted as \u201cMake America like it used to be … when women, LGBTQ, immigrants, non-Christians, and people of colour knew their place … and knew when to shut up.\u201d\u00a0 That one statement excludes and marginalizes a vast group of people who feel that the America of the past was far from ideal. For some of these people, the slogan literally hits like a punch to the gut.<\/p>\n

Did you hear that?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Hidden<\/a>Similarly, \u201cdog whistle\u201d expressions or comments are those that seem impartial on the surface but mean something very different to people who share a particular attitude or ideology. Just as only dogs can hear a high-pitched dog whistle, only people who are attuned to a particular style of thinking and interpretation \u201chear\u201d these \u201cdog whistle\u201d expressions. For instance, when a candidate for political office suggests creating a \u201csnitch line\u201d for reporting \u201cbarbaric cultural practices\u201d<\/a> even though the RCMP and other police organizations already have mechanisms in place for reporting illegal behaviour it can be taken at least two ways. One interpretation is that it\u2019s only about keeping Canadian residents safe. Another interpretation is that this is a good way to report on immigrants and Muslims when you don\u2019t like their perceived values or behaviour. This is a polite way of ensuring a sense of unwelcome to certain groups of people \u2026 without actually having to use obvious offensive language or ideology.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s go back to Vashti\u2019s dilemma. After she had agreed to be in a video about the benefits of doing business in her city and the advantages of joining a local business association, she was perplexed by the questions directed specifically at her. With an advanced degree, and as a successful business owner who lives in an affluent neighbourhood she couldn\u2019t understand why she was expected to personally answer from a script focusing on:<\/p>\n