The corruption of political language within democracies to justify anti-democratic actions. Opposition parties are "unpatriotic," critical media is "the enemy of the people," protestors are "paid agitators," and undermining independent institutions is "draining the swamp." It weaponizes democratic ideals to attack the guardrails of democracy, creating a world where "freedom" means your side's freedom to rule, and "truth" is what your leader said five minutes ago.
Example: "The senator's speech was Democratic Orwellianism: 'By investigating my corruption, the free press is undermining faith in our democracy itself! We must protect democracy from these divisive inquiries!' He was framing an attack on accountability as a defense of the system, making the scrutiny essential to democracy sound like its greatest threat."
by AbzuInExile February 1, 2026
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