Moderate versus extreme interpretations of political slogans

Abstract

This paper surveys 451 Americans about how they view and interpret three semantically indeterminate progressive political slogans: #BelieveWomen, #DefundThePolice, and #FreePalestine. In each case, most people who agree with the slogan interpret it to express a moderate position, while most people who disagree take it to describe a more extreme position – which is indeed endorsed by a minority of those who agree with the slogan. These results show that online political discourse can foment both false controversy and false consensus. Because liberals tend to interpret these slogans moderately, while conservatives are more likely to interpret them as extreme, these results further suggest that people may choose their interpretation of a slogan to foreground the issues that they see as problems, and/or to justify their preexisting attitude towards the movement it champions. This paper brings together linguistics and political science to illuminate miscommunication in public discourse.