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Petrichor ᚄᚔᚅᚐᚁᚆᚃᚒᚔᚂHeadline from <a href="https://flipboard.social/@guardian" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@guardian</a> "IDF carries out airstrikes in southern Lebanon ahead of funeral of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah". Why not just "Israel bombs southern Lebanon…"? <a href="https://mastodon.ie/tags/WeaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeaselWords</a>

quangobaud"78 killed in various strikes" <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Lebanon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Lebanon</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BBC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BBC</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BBCNews" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BBCNews</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BBCRadio4Today" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BBCRadio4Today</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WeaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeaselWords</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PassiveVoiceCops" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PassiveVoiceCops</a>

Paul WallbankI'm sure I'm not the only one who reads 'HR speak' and feels that an organisation that uses any words like 'contemporary', 'agile', 'collaborative', 'incluse', 'diverse', or 'mature', is in truth none of those. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/buzzwords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#buzzwords</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/managerialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#managerialism</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/weaselwords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselwords</a><a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/rare-recruitment-guide-reveals-what-it-takes-to-be-a-spy-sort-of-20240819-p5k3ja" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/rare-recruitment-guide-reveals-what-it-takes-to-be-a-spy-sort-of-20240819-p5k3ja</a>

Brett CallowLondon Drugs, B.C. officials lean on irksome wordplay amid cyberattacks <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/weaselwords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselwords</a> <a href="https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/rob-shaw-london-drugs-bc-officials-lean-on-irksome-wordplay-amid-cyberattacks-8816470" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/rob-shaw-london-drugs-bc-officials-lean-on-irksome-wordplay-amid-cyberattacks-8816470</a>

Deb has moved! (see profile) 🇨🇦<a href="https://newsmast.social/@newsmast" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@newsmast</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/@whencyclopedia" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@whencyclopedia</a> <a href="https://newsmast.community/@womensvoices" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@womensvoices</a> you know, the more I think on this ... the more I think the word "respect" has been co-opted to mean different things in different, coded, situations:▪ respect is due all white men, regardless of skills, accomplishments, morality, etc.▪ respect is granted to some others (ex: when it is earned.) I will be much more careful in how I use that word, in future 🤔😕 <a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/eww" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#eww</a><a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/weaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselWords</a> <a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/whiteSupremacy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#whiteSupremacy</a> <a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/racism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#racism</a> <a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/misogyny" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#misogyny</a>

Shouty personLet’s start with this little snippet right here. 'Reviewing … the effectiveness of universal 20mph roads to alleviate traffic congestion.'Sounds pretty banal. Except… Is she for 20mph limits or against them? <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/WeaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeaselWords</a> <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/SiamaQadar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SiamaQadar</a> <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/Tories" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tories</a> <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/Lewisham" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Lewisham</a> <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/DailyHate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DailyHate</a> <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/ukpolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ukpolitics</a> <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/lbl" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lbl</a> <a href="https://wandering.shop/tags/localelections" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#localelections</a>

settima<a href="https://med-mastodon.com/@luckytran" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@luckytran</a> Some more wonderful <a href="https://social.horrorhub.club/tags/weaselwords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselwords</a> for <a href="https://botsin.space/@selfhelp_ebooks" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@selfhelp_ebooks</a>.Also see <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/07/cop28-delegates-rest-day-dubai" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/07/cop28-delegates-rest-day-dubai</a> <a href="https://social.horrorhub.club/tags/COP28" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#COP28</a> <a href="https://social.horrorhub.club/tags/CopOut" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CopOut</a>

Richard Rathe<a href="https://mastodon.social/@dangillmor" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@dangillmor</a> “Weasel Rhetoric” to go with “Weasel Words”?1) An equivocal word used to deprive a statement of its force or to evade a direct commitment.2) A word used to qualify a statement so as to make it potentially misleading.3) An equivocal qualification; a word used to avoid making an outright assertion.Source: Am Heritage Dictionary <a href="https://richard.rathe.org/deception-obfuscation-misdirection" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://richard.rathe.org/deception-obfuscation-misdirection</a><a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/WeaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeaselWords</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Propaganda" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Propaganda</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Enshittification" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Enshittification</a>

Jennifer McMurray<a href="https://newsie.social/tags/MichaelKnowles" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MichaelKnowles</a> claims his eradication remark isn't about peopleThe <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/WeaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeaselWords</a> <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/conservatives" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#conservatives</a> invented, <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/Transgenderism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Transgenderism</a> and <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/TransgenderIdeology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TransgenderIdeology</a>, are <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/nonsense" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#nonsense</a><a href="https://newsie.social/tags/Transgender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Transgender</a> is an umbrella for <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/GenderVariant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GenderVariant</a> people. A biological <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/spectrum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#spectrum</a> exists past the <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/binary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#binary</a><a href="https://newsie.social/tags/GOP" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GOP</a> pretends everything's one of only two possibilities. <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/Abortion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Abortion</a> always takes a life. Banning it always protects a life. There are only XX female and XY male humans. <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/Science" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Science</a> and <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/history" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#history</a> prove both wrong<a href="https://t.co/W9XdsAI8yr" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://t.co/W9XdsAI8yr</a>

FerrousOh wow, it's taken many weeks, but I think I've finally achieved some kind of consensus on <a href="https://neurodifferent.me/tags/Wikipedia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Wikipedia</a> that this was not, in fact, a neutral way of describing the controversies around <a href="https://neurodifferent.me/tags/ABA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ABA</a>: "ABA is considered controversial by some within the autism rights movement due to a perception that it emphasizes normality instead of acceptance, and a history of, in some embodiments of ABA and its predecessors, the use of aversives, such as electric shocks." <a href="https://neurodifferent.me/tags/weaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselWords</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, ProsaistHere's some <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingAdvice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#writingAdvice</a>: Create a list of problem words that flag problems in your writing as you <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/revise" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#revise</a>. Here's my list of <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/hedgeWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#hedgeWords</a> and <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/weaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselWords</a>.(Reply with yours! I'll add them. Boost to share with others.)<ul><li>about (as in approximately)</li><li>almost</li><li>“and” conjunction run-ons. Could you break that sentence into two and save the conjunction?</li><li>already</li><li>barely</li><li>begin</li><li>“but” conjunction run-ons. Could you break that sentence and two and still provide the same contrast?</li><li>can (in the sense of maybe)</li><li>certainly</li><li>generally</li><li>I/he saw that (If the act of observation is paramount, don’t remove, don't remove such constructions.)</li><li>I/he heard that</li><li>I/he read that</li><li>I/he felt that</li><li>I/he noticed that</li><li>I/he recognized that </li><li>just</li><li>kind of</li><li>like</li><li>maybe</li><li>mostly</li><li>near (in the sense of almost)</li><li>of course</li><li>one (in the sense of quantity when stating such is unnecessary)</li><li>one (as a pronoun—generally sounds bad)</li><li>perhaps</li><li>possibly</li><li>potentially (in the sense of maybe)</li><li>probably</li><li>really (the interject</li><li>seems </li><li>some (in the sense of indeterminate)</li><li>sort of</li><li>start, started to</li><li>still</li><li>surprisingly</li><li>that (a latinate construction that can often be omitted when used to introduce a subordinate clause, but not always. Comprehension is paramount.)</li><li>usually</li><li>you can (verb)</li></ul>My biggest bugaboos are words that soften (hedge) the impact of a sentence or keep the narrator from (weaselly) committing to action. Both kill effective narration, as the narrator knows all tells what's necessary. Careful, though. Such word mimic normal speech, as between subordinate and dominant people and in cautious conversation. When you find these words, stop and examine the context of the word. <ul><li>Does the word serve a purpose? If not, delete. I suggest removing it provisionally; this makes it clear.</li><li>Can a strong word substitute? If, substitute.</li><li>Is something lost if the word, phrase, or sentence is removed? If not, delete.</li><li>Can a previous sentence imply what this one does? (Ellipsis)</li><li>Will recasting the sentence clarify or strength the it?</li></ul>A good list should transform your prose, turning hesitancy to decisive action. Deleting these words removes verbiage, making your writing concise and hard-edged. Each and every word must serve a purpose, whether functional or aesthetic.<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/boostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#boostingIsSharing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/amRevising" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#amRevising</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#writingLife</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<a href="https://aus.social/@MichaelPryor" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@MichaelPryor</a> This is my life as I <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/amrevising" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#amrevising</a>, along with about, almost, barely, begin, but, certainly, generally, I saw/felt/heard/read/thought that, kind of, maybe, mostly, near, of course, one (indefinite pronoun), perhaps, potentially, possibly, probably, really, some, sor*t of, started, still, that, usually, and *you can. These are my weasel and hedge words. Makes you want a macro language in your word processor to help you find them, don't it!Sadly, I don't smoke. <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#writingLife</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/weaselWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselWords</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/hedgeWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#hedgeWords</a>

War on the Castle, Peace in the Valley🛡️🍉🇵🇸 🏳️‍🌈TL;DR: Seth Abrahamson is falsifying with his claim that Mastodon admins are secretly reading our DMs and his claim that they are "overlords" acting like "secret police" represents a very dangerous sort of finger-pointing associated with, well, secret police. Methinks the liar doth protest too much. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the claims Seth Abrahamson makes on his post article is not only false it is sensationalism in a sort of inverted Alex Jones style:Writing in "The Post" which might more appropriately be deemed "The Pest", he claims: ".. the sometimes-anonymous overlords of an individual Mastodon server can actually read your private messages without your knowledge... the level of content moderation on that site extended even to a secret police–like surveillance of users’ private communications..."☝️ Regarding "the sometimes-anonymous overlords"☝️☝️almost every significant instance is hosted by a person who gives their full legal name and in many cases they proudly state their business or place of employment and can be verified on Linked In. His use of the <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/weaselwords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weaselwords</a> does not change the fact that his characterization of Mastodon admins as 'anonymous overlords' is both wrong and demagogic☝️Regarding "can actually read your private messages without your knowledge...secretely"☝️☝️ there is full disclosure everywhere you look that DMs are not encrypted on Mastodon. You are warned and advised to use email, Signal or some alternative for private comms. Abrahamson incorrectly characterizes DMs as "private" but they are expressly NOT private. No one thinks that but perhaps Abrahamson's cult of devotees.Mastodon admins are probably the busiest techies on the planet who are not in a sweatshop like twitter where the threat of losing their work visa and a sadistic madman of a boss are driving them to work long hours. They simply don't have the time to read or surveill anyone's DMs even if they wanted to. ☝️☝️It is technologically intricate and time-consuming to plow through DM. DMs are almost impossible for unauthorized 3rd parties to read and can also be deleted beyond the likelihood of feasible access without time-consuming, CPU-burning data recovery hacks. This can all be fact checked with <a href="https://union.place/@tim" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@tim</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/@Gargron" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Gargron</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/@jerry" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@jerry</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/@jerry" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@jerry</a> <a href="https://mastodon.lol/@nathan" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@nathan</a> or anyone at <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/admin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#admin</a> - ☝️Insofar as it is common knowledge that the DMs are not encrypted, if a harassing or threatening DM were sent they would have the ability to verify that they were sent as alleged. This is true of twitter and Facebook as well, for that matter. ☝️Regarding " the level of content moderation on that site extended even to a secret police..." ☝️ ☝️Aside from the distortions and falsifications, if true, these alleged Stasi/Gestapo/FSB surveillance activities would not be 'content moderation'. He is commingling the complex issue of <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/contentmoderation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#contentmoderation</a> with the issue of <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/privacy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#privacy</a> in a bizarre false reality of his own making. To the extent it is at all intelligible, it would be some kind of illicit peeping tom malfeasance with no legitimate connection to content moderation. It seems like he is trying to leverage discontent with content moderation and parlay into a following by hitching it to his hyperbole. The kind of thing that Trump and his imitators try to do, but on a somewhat more sophisticated level. Sneaky, really. ☝️☝️ In conclusion ☝️☝️ This is all just in regard to his one point in his article of Pest, the part about DMs. Be aware that he is currently sanitizing embarassing twitter activity so it might be a good idea to save some of it before it is "disappeared" in what might be called "secret police" style. LOL. For example, the top return on <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/duckduckgo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#duckduckgo</a> leads to a tweet that he deleted. Despite his coverup, the Duck Duck Go server retains the gist of the tweet, which I have posted here on another entirely different thread. This particular thread is restricted to his near-slanderous allegations about <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/mods" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mods</a> and <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Moderation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Moderation</a>

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