For the progressive movement to succeed, we have to be extremely careful about language.
Republicans are tend to be great at getting mainstream media to adopt their preferred language, even when its misleading. We shouldn’t fall into their trap.
One example for us to watch for is how the Republicans are trying to spin the Trump Jr./Kushner/Manafort meeting with a Russian operative.
We know from the NY Times reporting, and Trump Jr’s admission, that the subject of at least some of the meeting was The Magnitsky Act. For those not familiar, the Magnitsky Act was a law that imposed sanctions on Russia after they allegedly murdered a lawyer who was investigating fraud committed by Russian officials.
Despite a common misconception, The Magnitsky Act did NOT ban adoption of Russian children by US Citizens — Russians themselves imposed the ban.
What the Magnitsky Act did was impose sanctions on certain Russian human rights abusers (18 of whom were named publicly) individuals who were thought to be responsible for Magnitsky’s death , barring them from entering the United States or using our banking system.
It was the Russians, not us, who banned adoptions. In response to the Magnitsky Act, the Russians retaliated by banning 18 Americans from entering Russia (including, interestingly, Preet Bahara), and in addition, they also banned the adoptions.
Russian puppets like to blame the adoption ban on US government policy, as if a ban on adoptions was part of the sanctions we imposed or suggest that we can do something to lift the ban — as if the babies who can’t get adopted are hostages we are supposed to negotiate for.
That brings me back to language.
Look at what the NY Times actually wrote (emphasis added):
He said she then turned the conversation to adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act, an American law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers. The 2012 law so enraged President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that he halted American adoptions of Russian children.
Now look at how The Washington Post phrased it today (emphasis added again):
1) Trump Jr. on Saturday: The meeting was about Russian adoption
The Times reported it right, that Trump Jr claims the Russians wanted to discuss the Magnitsky Act and the adoption ban Russia imposed in response.
But read that Washington Post shorthand again. They (and other pundits and even commenters on liberal blogs) have shortened the whole thing to just being about adoptions. Shame on them.
This language is what the Republicans want. If they can trick people into thinking this is only about adoptions, or that we imposed the adoptions ban as part of our sanctions, then they can generate sympathy for the goal of lifting sanctions and sympathy for Russia. They also take people’s attention away from Russian human rights abuses and the reason we cracked down on the 18 Russians involved in human rights abuses.
But it’s important not to let them gloss over the sanctions as if all the Russians want is to allow adoptions, nor to let them re-brand the adoption ban as being something we are to blame for. Remember, Russia used its babies’ lives as virtual human shields — sacrificing their own children’s well-being as a response to a US crackdown on 18 human rights abusers.
So I’m asking all progressives: When you talk or write about this, don’t use their language. Don’t copy the Post’s inacurate wording and say say ‘Trump Jr. said the meeting was about Russian adoption.’
Please stay accurate and say instead “Trump Jr. said it was about sanctions imposed in the Magnitsky act” or “..sanctions imposed on Russia and Russia’s ban on adoptions” or “It was about the Magnitsky Act and Russia’s ban on adoptions” — but never say it was about adoptions without making clear the adoption ban is a Russian response to sanctions, and that the Russian goal is the lifting of sanctions.
Ultimately, we don’t control government. We don't control the media. But we do control the language we use — and we don't have to adopt their language or their spin, nor should we legitimize the mainstream media adopting their language or talking points.
Thanks for listening.