What sounds more stupid, “undocumented” or “unhoused”?
Let’s vote.
These terms are both demented, but they refer to two distinct categories of “victims”.
“Undocumented” is Newspeak for illegal immigrant and is used by the new Woke Ascendancy to make it impossible for ordinary people to conceptualize the notion that there is a lawful difference between citizens and non-citizens and that states are meaningfully defined by having borders which they have the right to forcefully defend.
“Unhoused” is Newspeak for homeless and is used by the new Woke Ascendancy in the hope that ordinary people will not only stop attaching blame to the homeless but also will not question the fact that the new Woke Ascendancy claims the right to keep throwing taxpayers’ money at the homelessness which its systemic policies have created while doing nothing structural to solve the problem, while at the same time claiming moral superiority over the “Deplorables” by showing how compassionate they – the new Woke Ascendancy – are.
Unhoused is a strange and awkward term. I am not sure why some on the left prefer it to “homeless”. The term homeless isn’t a value jugement in and of itself and, even if we accept the premise that the term is judgemental, I don’t understand why “unhoused” is somehow judgement free?
I have no issue when it comes to the term “undocumented”– especially because it often refers labor issues specifically (i.e. employers are responsible for checking the documents ensuring legal employability.) Its a useful term that serves a purpose.
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Both ‘unhoused’ and ‘undocumented’ are about tapping into linguistic structure to short circuit thought.
Both words imply a passive construction, someone (some people) has/have ‘unhoused’ them or ‘undocumented’ them. They aren’t agents but objects of others’ actions.
They also invite ‘reparation’ (for lack of a better word). If a person is ‘unhoused’ then it should be easy to ‘house’ them. An ‘undocumented’ person needs ‘documents’ which can be provided.
Anyone using these words is calling for a particular policy (whether they think they are or not….).
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“An ‘undocumented’ person needs ‘documents’ which can be provided”
shortly after posting that I saw this on twitter: “MANY of the underpaid and under-protected employees in meat-packing plants are undocumented immigrants. We MUST legalize and protect them.”
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For “unhoused” how about the word “destitute”
As for “undocumented”, if someone’s in this country illegally they could still be documented as such.
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
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