Political Code Wording: Are We all Guilty?

Posted on by Martha

Code wording is when we use specific words or phrases that contain hidden meanings to those in our inner circles to convey information discreetly.

The funniest example I can think of is that before menstruation could be talked about in public, I and other girls and women would say things like, “I just got my monthly bill,” or “my friend just arrived,” both said with a dose of sarcasm, but that hit its mark by bonding us in shared understanding.

I don’t know when I became conscious of political code wording, only that it seeped into my life starting in the 1990s. What I do know is that the phenomenon appears to be a significant part of our current polarization in America.

When code wording began

Political code wording, also called “dog whistling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_(politics)),” has long existed in some form.


In “The Origins of 20 Political Words and Phrases,” (WBAY, April 20, 2024), writer Colleen Kilday points out that the term “founding fathers” was first uttered in 1916 by then-Sen. Warren G. Harding during the Republican National Convention. The term remains vague as to who’s included.

“John Adams himself rejected the designation outright, writing that the titles “founder” and ‘father’ “belong to no man, but to the American people in general.”

During the Civil Rights era, politicians used “states’ rights” as a polite stand-in for “opposing federal desegregation.” Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign speech in Mississippi referenced this term in a way that many understood as a subtle appeal to white Southern voters without directly mentioning race.

In such instances, code wording allows the signaling of loyalty or ideology while offering deniability to the speaker.

Code wording examples

10 examples from the Left

  • equity: often used instead of “reparations” to promote fairness.
  • marginalized communities: implies groups that have been oppressed, often without directly naming race, gender or class directly.
  • reproductive rights: refers to abortion access without saying “abortion.”
  • justice-involved individuals: a euphemism for people those who’ve been incarcerated somehow embroiled in the legal system.
  • climate justice: links climate change to social inequality and so suggests that environmentalism is also about human rights.
  • gender-affirming care: refers to medical procedures related to gender transition, though without naming specifics.
  • undocumented workers: an alternative to “illegal immigrants” meant to emphasize humanity before legal status.
  • restorative practices: alternatives to punishment in schools or justice systems, often referring to progressive reforms.
  • anti-racism: refers to dismantling systemic racism, often through education and policy change.
  • diverse voices: a catchphrase for non-white, non-male, or LGBTQ+ inclusion without naming identity categories.

10 examples from the Right

  • law and order: signals support for police and tough-on-crime policies.
  • traditional values: refers to conservative positions on family, gender roles, and sexuality, often rooted in religious beliefs.
  • woke agenda: a dismissive term for liberal cultural values, especially those related to race and gender.
  • patriotic education: opposing curricula like Critical Race Theory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory) or progressive interpretations of American history.
  • globalists: implies distrust of international elites, often used as a veiled anti-Semitic dog whistle.
  • Second Amendment rights: refers to gun rights.
  • illegal aliens: used instead of “undocumented immigrants” and signals a tougher stance on immigration enforcement.
  • radical left: a euphemism the implies extremism in Democratic or progressive policies.
  • the deep state (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_state_conspiracy_theory_in_the_United_States): suggests there’s an unseen, unelected bureaucracy working against elected officials and is often tied to conspiracy theories.
  • parental rights: often used to oppose progressive education policies around sex ed, LGBTQ+ issues, or diversity programs.

Who uses code wording?

Code wording is used by politicians, political pundits, and as far as I know, all of us Americans citizens, even if we’re sometimes unaware the term might be insulting to someone, or mark us as of one political orientation or another.

Why code wording is so effective

This language works because it feels like a secret handshake. It draws lines between those who “get it” and those who don’t.


In marketing, this is called “signaling” because it sends messages about your beliefs or group without spelling them out. It’s efficient and emotionally powerful. In politics, that emotional charge can galvanize supporters, raise money, and shape legislation — all without a single explicit declaration.

Why code wording is so harmful

While code wording is effective, it’s also deeply damaging for the following reasons.


Hindrance to honest dialogue

If we use euphemisms and signals rather than plain speech, it becomes harder to have substantive conversations across lines of difference.


Terms like the ones listed under “examples” may sound benign, but they carry decades of cultural baggage. And when we avoid direct terms like “poverty,” “race,” or “police violence,” we bury the problems — and their potential solutions — under layers of coded language.

Causes suspicion

Code wording fosters suspicion. Because coded terms often imply a hidden agenda, people on the “outside” of a political group start to distrust the entire conversation. You may not know what someone means by “the deep state” or “DEI,” but you know it’s loaded. That ambiguity creates fertile ground for conspiracy theories and fear.

Can radicalize people


Language that begins as vague can grow sharper and more extreme within closed communities. A term like “replacement theory” started as a fringe idea, but became mainstream when it was adopted by public figures who never used the words “white supremacy” because they didn’t have to. Everyone listening knew what they meant.

What we can do about it

Get curious

When someone uses a term that seems vague or suspicious, ask what they mean. Not as a challenge, but as a way to open the conversation. For example: “When you say ‘woke,’ what are you referring to exactly?” or “What does ‘patriotic education’ mean to you?”

Scrutinize out our own usage


I have to admit that I use code words without thinking because they’re often used — and accepted by — the people around me.


So I’ve started identifying the words that can be triggering for someone who doesn’t share my point of view. Instead, I use more direct words.


By saying what we mean, and meaning what we say, we can avert mistrust. “I believe in affirmative action,” for example, is far clearer — and braver — than “I support diverse hiring practices.”

Media literacy


Media literacy wasn’t taught when I was growing up, but maybe it should be now. If we help people understand how language is used to persuade, divide, and manipulate, we can give them tools to question what they hear and what they say.


The more we call it out, decode it, and insist on clarity, the less power it has over us.

Further reading


If you’d like to read more about the subject, here are a few suggestions:

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Definition of Common Ground Movement: vouching your loyalty to other Americans rather than a political party, and embracing the fact we have more in common than not.

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