White politicians shifted from racial slurs to coded language after civil rights

Evidence

In her 2021 Christian Post article, “The Assault on ‘White America,’ ” Hedieh Mirahmadi writes, “[W]e must acknowledge the widespread assault on the conservative Christian community. I use the phrase ‘White America,’ though ironically we are comprised of all ethnicities and races but united in our stand for biblical and democratic values that are the foundation of our country.” Notice what the author is assuming. She states that conservative Christians are under attack, but she takes this as an assault on “white America.” She even acknowledges that the group under attack comprises multiple races and ethnicities, but what makes them “white” apparently is their united stand for America’s foundational biblical and democratic values. Mirahmadi’s rhetorical sleight-of-hand is not unusual. White Christian nationalists often use religion to hide race in this way. But it is a little clumsy. She gives away the game too easily. … White Christian nationalists did not always need to play this game though. Before the civil rights movement, white politicians who wanted to stir up their voters could just use racial slurs. After the civil rights movement, they had to find more subtle ways of invoking race. They invented code words that triggered the racial anxieties of white voters. On his deathbed, Republican strategist Lee Atwater confessed that when openly saying the N-word started to backfire and hurt politicians, he urged Nixon to adopt the language of “states’ rights” and “forced bussing.” Later, Reagan would use phrases like “welfare queen” and “bucks” to vilify poor Blacks. More recent formulations included “super-predator,” “thugs,” “illegals,” and “terrorists.” Similarly, words like “communist” and “socialist” have been racially coded since the “red scares” of the 1920s and even more so since the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Martin Luther King Jr. was often vilified as a “communist.” Like a high-pitched whistle that can only be heard by a dog, the code words were uniquely effective for those with prejudiced ears. — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 89

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the moral-panic literature and code-word analysis from World of Strangers about how appearance/framing codes shift with social constraint. — connects to: Right-wing politics rearticulated white supremacy into code words rather than overt racism — Michael Omi, Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States, 191; Racial dog whistles replaced explicit slurs after the civil rights movement — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 89; White supremacy shifted from explicit defense to coded euphemism after the 1960s. (+7 more)
• CANDY: The Atwater deathbed confession and the ‘dog whistle only dogs hear’ metaphor are vivid, quotable nuggets.

Broader Connections

• Racial dog whistles replaced explicit slurs after the civil rights movement #corroborates (0.97) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 89
• Right-wing politics rearticulated white supremacy into code words rather than overt racism #corroborates (0.95) — Michael Omi, Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States, 191
• White supremacy shifted from explicit defense to coded euphemism after the 1960s. #corroborates (0.95)
• Racist language evolves into coded euphemisms as older slurs become unacceptable #corroborates (0.93) — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 1238
• Old-fashioned racism gave way to subtler forms that still shape political outcomes #corroborates (0.90) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2167
• Racial reaction mobilized via code words instead of repression alone #corroborates (0.90) — Michael Omi, Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States, 196
• Color-blind rhetoric functioned as an arsenal of racist dog whistles #corroborates (0.85) — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Begin Again, 488
• Symbolic racism now dominates older forms of racial prejudice in American politics #expands (0.80) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3742
• Racialization shifts with the political interests of those in power #expands (0.72) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 86