this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2026
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Basically just something people say that indicates a position indirectly, like how seperatists from a given region might always say they're from [region] and not [country] or how trump supporters call AI "SI" now.

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[–] CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world 70 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

ITT people talking about Nazi dog whistles

I was voting and one of the people I looked up for judge had “EMPATHY” as a big point for her, considering a lot on the right have said empathy is bad/a weakness/the problem and judges are supposed to be nonpartisan I considered it to be a dog whistle. She also had a lot of good stuff in her background but having EMPATHY in big bold letters seemed purposeful

[–] JerkyChew@lemmy.world 5 points 23 hours ago

Probably the SportDOG Roy Gonia Mega Whistle. It's extra loud and works well.

[–] _NetNomad@fedia.io 27 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Not so much a position as preferences and experiences, but the words people use to describe elements of music can often give away what they either enjoy or play. If you call a rhythm a beat, you're probably into electronic or hip hop. If you refer to a song's chord progression as "the changes," you must like jazz. If you use Italian words (outside of Italy I guess!) to talk about tempo and dynamics, you were either in an orchestra or fondly remember that one time at band camp. If a phrase is a "strain," you should get your lungs checked out. If the bridge is the "middle eight," get a colonoscopy while you're at it.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (4 children)

What happens if you ask for a double bass pedal at a practice room?

[–] proudblond@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That sounds like the beginning of a joke. If it is, what happens?

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

I was banking on _NetNomad to pick up on my "yes and" and he delivered.

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[–] Hegar@fedia.io 36 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Are those dog whistles? I think of dog whistles as conveying a specific message to those in the know.

The examples you gave seem more like shibboleths - something that can be used to identify or rule out being part of an identity group.

Calling taiwan "taiwan" instead of china marks the speaker as not from the PRC, but it doesn't send a specific message the way that republicans would say "welfare cheats" when they meant "black people", trusting their base understands.

[–] BurgerBaron@quokk.au 10 points 1 day ago

TIL the correct word for this, good comment.

[–] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Yeah you're right I did mean shibboleths, just didn't know the term, sorry, should I edit the post?

[–] Hegar@fedia.io 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, as @Tikiporch@lemmy.world said, the meaning is clear.

It's such a fun word and i think it's such a neat concept, but it's annoying to use in a title cause it's quite a rare word. But i find that once there's a name for it, it's way easier to notice it, so i like to mention it.

Where i live we pronounce couch st and schuyler st as cooch and skyler, and the police dept is the police bureau. Not knowing these things is used as a shibboleth that marks visiters.

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 23 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

"Eat the rich."

Only two kinds of people say it.

  • Those disenfranchised by capitalism

  • Literal cannibals that don't understand the slogan and would also eat the poor

[–] Aeao@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Bulshit. Some of us cannibals understand rich people taste far better than poor people.

Joke aside which of the two groups do you place Motörhead in?

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[–] qaz@lemmy.world 3 points 23 hours ago

Had an English teacher that would consistently use that phrase while explaining grammer etc.

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[–] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 37 points 1 day ago (16 children)

My favorite example is how francophone leftists or those who dislike america will call americans "USians". (Américain -> États-Unien)

[–] Mantzy81@aussie.zone 29 points 1 day ago (7 children)

I call people from the US that as I respect the other nations in the Americas who are also Americans - from Chilean people to Canadian. All American. Neither of them USian.

But, I do also hate US Defaultism because it shows a lack of knowledge/understanding/awareness which only plays into the stereotypes that people from the US are stupid and ignorant. Which I think is disparaging to (some of) them, and they could show they aren't by being using self-aware language. Hence, "USian" . It's like how "woke" originated too - i.e. "awake" to institutional bigotry.

[–] theneverfox@pawb.social 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

No one but those from the US claim the term "American". Canadians do not want to be called American, and everyone else speaks a whole different language, and they prefer to be referred to by their county as well

It's not US defaultism, it's like calling someone from China Asian, or worse Oriental. It's not woke, no one will thank you for calling them by a label you've assigned to them as an outsider

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[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"If you know what I mean 😉" is probably the most common one.

No, Frank, exactly what is it that you feel uncomfortable saying but forces you to make everyone else think it?

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[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

There’s no point in non-nazis using dog whistles when the right has made a cottage industry of convincing themselves that every innocuous phrase like “happy holidays” is a left-wing dog whistle anyway.

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[–] downdaemon@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago

“Under no pretext” or “We protect Us“ gun fans

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I can think of some sex ones I've heard of.

A "snow white" is some kind of deranged sex thing for a girl i can't remember... It is probably really bad though.

Also one place i was had furries who hung different color flags on their belt, it was pretty subtle but apparently it was a signal about what kind of sex things they were into. Someone told me that.

Also I've heard that long ago in hawai'i if you had a flower behind your right ear it meant one thing, and behind your other ear it meant another thing.

[–] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 5 points 21 hours ago

The flag thing comes from the gay community, back when it was a more underground experience.

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