by a vote of 144 to 2), calling for an international conference on the
Israel-Arab problem; etc.
But the sophisticated understand that these efforts do not form
part of the peace process. The reason is that in the PC meaning, the
term peace process refers to what the US government is doing—in
the cases mentioned, this is to block international efforts to seek
peace. The cases cited do not fall within the peace process, because
the US backed Israel’s rejection of Sadat’s offer, vetoed the
Security Council resolution, opposed negotiations and mutual
recognition of the PLO and Israel, and regularly joins with Israel in
opposing—thereby, in effect, vetoing—any attempt to move towards
a peaceful diplomatic settlement at the UN or elsewhere.
The peace process is restricted to US initiatives, which call for a
unilateral US-determined settlement with no recognition of
Palestinian national rights. That’s the way it works. Those who
cannot master these skills must seek another profession.
There are many other examples. Take the term special interest.
The well-oiled Republican PR systems of the 1980s regularly
accused the Democrats of being the party of the special interests:
women, labor, the elderly, the young, farmers—in short, the general
population. There was only one sector of the population never
listed as a special interest: corporations (and business generally).
That makes sense. In PC discourse their (special) interests are the
“national interest,” to which all must bow.
The Democrats plaintively retorted that they were not the party
of the special interests: they served the national interest too. That
was correct, but their problem has been that they lack the single-
minded class consciousness of their Republican opponents. The
latter are not confused about their role as representatives of the
owners and managers of the society, who are fighting a bitter class
war against the general population—often adopting vulgar Marxist
rhetoric and concepts, resorting to jingoist hysteria, fear and terror,
awe of great leaders and the other standard devices of population
control. The Democrats are less clear about their allegiances,
hence less effective in the propaganda wars.
Finally, take the term conservative, which has come to refer to
advocates of a powerful state that interferes massively in the
economy and in social life. They advocate huge state expenditures
and a postwar peak of protectionist measures and insurance against
market risk, narrowing individual liberties through legislation and
ann
(Ann)
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