Episode 26: The 'Welfare' Dog-Whistle

Episode 26: The 'Welfare' Dog-Whistle

The term "welfare" is thrown around so casually in political speeches and media coverage we hardly notice it anymore. CNN reports that "GOP will tackle Medicare, Medicaid, welfare in 2018," while The Washington Post insists that "Trump recently called on Congress to move to cut welfare spending after the tax bill." CBS News tells viewers that "Washington eyes welfare reform."

But what do these outlets and the Republican Party actually mean when they talk about "welfare"? What programs are they referring to? The exact definition of "welfare" – which supposedly ended over 20 years ago – remains unclear.

While the word "welfare" and the welfare state has a positive connotation in Europe, in the United States it's more often than not a malleable propaganda term meant to dog whistle programs for African-Americans and Latinos while signaling to whites that their checks and corporate handouts will remain untouched.

In this episode, we dig into the racist history of anti-welfare crusades, the political purpose of pathologizing poverty, and the meaninglessness of phrases like "welfare reform," with guest Sarah Jaffe.

Episoder(367)

News Brief: NPR Asks Starving Palestinian Living On Rubble to Denounce Hamas, Co-Sign His Own Ethnic Cleansing

News Brief: NPR Asks Starving Palestinian Living On Rubble to Denounce Hamas, Co-Sign His Own Ethnic Cleansing

In this News Brief, we we break down an object lesson in racist US-Israeli national security state toadyism, double standards, and runaway condescension.

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News Brief: Baltimore Uprising 10 Years on: PR Co-option vs Genuine Reform

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Episode 220: The Power of Thought-Terminating Bad Guy Labels

Episode 220: The Power of Thought-Terminating Bad Guy Labels

"American Extremists Aiding Radicals Across Border," trumpeted the Detroit Free Press in 1919. "707 Illegal Aliens Arrested in Checkpoint Crackdown," reported the Los Angeles Times in 1987. "87 Bronx ...

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Ep 219: How Elites Concern Troll 'Waste' to Gut Social Welfare and Divide the Working Class

Ep 219: How Elites Concern Troll 'Waste' to Gut Social Welfare and Divide the Working Class

"Poverty plan hit for fraud, waste," reported the Associated Press in 1966. "Study says government waste is unbelievable," insisted United Press International in 1983. "Beneath Trump's Chaotic Spendin...

23 Apr 20251h 15min

Ep 218: The Siren Song of Rallying Around a 'Common Enemy' to Promote Progressive Causes

Ep 218: The Siren Song of Rallying Around a 'Common Enemy' to Promote Progressive Causes

"Senate Weighs Investing $120 Billion in Science to Counter China," trumpeted The New York Times in 2021. "A New Economic Patriotism Can Help Unite Our Divided Congress," argued Newsweek in 2023. "US ...

16 Apr 20251h 13min

News Brief: Dem Leaders, 'Free Speech' Warriors Mostly Shrug as Trump Disappears Political Dissidents

News Brief: Dem Leaders, 'Free Speech' Warriors Mostly Shrug as Trump Disappears Political Dissidents

In this public News Brief, we discuss the media and high-profile Democratic Party leaders and 'Free Speech' crowd's muted—or, in many cases, completely silent—response to the greatest attack on free s...

2 Apr 202528min

Episode 217: A.I. Mysticism as Responsibility-Evasion PR Tactic

Episode 217: A.I. Mysticism as Responsibility-Evasion PR Tactic

"Israel built an 'AI factory' for war. It unleashed it in Gaza," laments the Washington Post. "Hospitals Are Reporting More Insurance Denials. Is AI Driving Them?," reports Newsweek. "AI Raising the R...

26 Mar 20251h 3min

News Brief: Trump's Hollow Working Class Aesthetics and How Unions Can Lead a Real Resistance

News Brief: Trump's Hollow Working Class Aesthetics and How Unions Can Lead a Real Resistance

In this Citations Needed News Brief interview, we're joined by Rutgers professor Eric Blanc to discuss his new book "We Are The Union," and lay out how any meaningful resistance to Trump and Trumpism ...

19 Mar 202533min

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