From: ez000281@hamlet.ucdavis.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: Communspeak Latin American Dictionary (CLAD)
Date: 3 Sep 92 19:23:51 GMT
Organization: Computing Services, UC Davis

Latin American Communspeak

In <9209030152.AA11839@poly.math.cornell.edu> Allen W. Sherzer writes:

>Boy this political correct stuff is hard to follow. A few weeks ago
>Harel was telling us it was an emargo. Now it's back to being a
>blockade.

I think the explanation has to do more with double talk than with material or 
spiritual reality.  This is the kind of thing people resort to when they have 
to twist the denotations of words so that they convey artificial secondary 
reference.  For example, the logic behind the use of "blockade" is one of 
"legality".  Since Cuban communists (and their followers elsewhere) believe 
that the U.S. trade embargo is illegal, they consider it qualifies as a 
"blockade" as the effect is purportedly the same.  The problem is that there 
are "blockades" which are LEGAL.  The finest example of one is that of Iraq.  
The BLOCKADE of the sole Jordanian port was LEEGALLY SANCTIONED by the highest 
legislative council in the world and nobody but dictarships such as Cuba, 
Yemen, North Koreaa, and China rejected such "blocking" of the port.

A further Irony is that supporters of Cuban communism on state that "almost 
every country in the world" ignores the embargo, and then immediately state 
it's a blockade!

Double talk has been a matter of intelectual study for many years.  Just for 
starters one can read George Orwell's well known book on the matter : "Politics 
and the English Language" where he lays out in detail what was included in the 
fiction of "1984".  In 1984 the official language of Oceania, was none other 
that "newspeak", and we were shown a society where the Gestapo was reffered to 
as "Ministry of Love" and the propaganda boys worked at the "Ministry of 
Truth".  I was thinking that the tradition of exposing double talk was not so 
common in Latin American literature as it is in Anglo literature (with 
exceptions such as Vargas Llosa).  So, let's examine some of their terms for a 
while and see what they mean.

1.-Latin American Communspeak: Asamblea de poder popular

Sense: Party assembly where party "lines" are shoved in an up-down direction, 
and the positions of the powerless are screened in public confessionaries. In 
the "asambleas"  "dangerous elements" are identified and "reactionary ideology" 
is defeated.

2.-Latin American Communspeak: "ideas peligrosas"

Sense: An idea contrary to the will of the party's leaders which can often 
lead to capital punishment or imprisonment. 

3.-Latin American Communspeak: "centralismo democratico"

Sense: Principle by which the majority is said to feed the will of the cadres 
to the leadership and at the same time obey the leadership's orders.  It works 
in the role fashion that "committees" work in the framework of University 
Administrations in the U.S. with the distinction that you are not put to death 
or imprisoned if you object to any imposition.

4.-Latin American Communspeak: "defensa de la soberania nacional"

Sense: right to commit as many atrocities and rip offs as you wish under your 
own laws without any interference from the world community.

5- -Latin American Communspeak: "internacionalismo proletario"

Sense: right to ignore the principle in #4 when ever it fits your geopolitical 
ends (e.g., Angola, Ethiopia, Grenada, Nicaragua...)

6.-Latin American Communspeak: "solidaridad entre los pueblos"

Sense: same as #5 but with an added populist or nationalist flavor.  Usually 
the term also used to refer to how onw aligned onself to Moscow's or Havanna's 
foreign policies,directly or indirecty through a conference of so called 
non-aligned puppets.

8.-Latin American Communspeak: "contrarrevolucionario"

Sense: anybody which does not fall under the party's "hegemony."

9.-Latin American Communspeak: "revolucionario"

Sense: anybody who helps you stay in power or achieve it by means of mass 
slaughter.  The referent must also publicly claim that a profound "change" has 
or will operate within society even if there is not, or will not be, any of 
such changes taking place.

10.-Latin American Communspeak: "imperialismo yanqui"

Sense: any foreign power or block that opposes your political objectives.  It 
is the only source of evil in the known universe of discourse.

11.-Latin American Communspeak: "excesos"

Sense: any gross violations of crimes against humanity instigated or performed 
by Communists which has flared out in the eyes of the world.

12.-Latin American Communspeak: "centros de reeducacion"

Sense: prisons for the entities referred to in #8

13.-Latin American Communspeak: "Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias"

Sense: Profesional fighting force designed to keep party bosses in power.

14.-Latin American Communspeak: "Comites de defensa de la revolucion"

Sense: Massive spy network of political indoctrination where all of those who 
are not reffered to in 8 attend regularly.

15.-Latin American Communspeak: "libertad de prensa"

Sense: 1) In countries where the "revolution" has triumphed it refers to the 
right of the "Ministry of information" to publish what it whished. 2) In 
countries where the "revolution" has not triumphed it refers to the right to 
disinform your public and discredit whover you wish.

16.-Latin American Communspeak: "enajenacion"

Sense: Intellectual state in which all the "ebrutecido" workers are in before 
the arrival of the "revoultion".  It is also an excellent property to attribute 
on those referred to in #8.

17.-Latin American Communspeak: "libertad de culto"

Sense: Right to believe in "liberation" theology (see below) in all countries 
in which the "revolution" has not triumphed.

18.-Latin American Communspeak:"teologia de la liberacion"

Sense: Heretic belief that Jesus was a communist, or at the very least would 
have worked right along the communists to bring about his reign on earth before 
the coming of the apocalypse. (BTW the author of this dictionary is agnostic)

19.-Latin American Communspeak:"dialectical materialism"

Sense: Philosofical foundations of communism.  Assumes that everying is made 
up of matter (including ideas) and that all ideology is a reflection of matter. 
 Hence, any belief in the existence of propositions (e.g. God, a triangle, 
numbers) outside matter is plain nonsense. The "dialectical" part is but a 
contorsion of Hegel's view of contradictories, which when applied to history 
give the communist ideal causal force and historical legitimacy as an 
"inevitable stage" of humanity in which private property exists no more and 
everybody lives happily ever after, without even having to work.

20.-Latin American Communspeak: "Heroes de la patria"

Sense: Any national leader which you wish to iconize and interpret at your own 
interest to hide behind the simpathy he may have gained among the population.  
It is important to adorn this figure with god like properties in order to purge 
heretics which may disagree with you and in order to grant supernatural powers 
to those who simpathize along your beliefs.

21.-Latin American Communspeak: "Revolucion permanente"

Sense: "Dangerous" proposition which claims that once a revoultionary process 
has begun it must follow through with the erradiction of private property and 
the establishment of communism and the dissolution of the state immediatedly. 
Such believe can inevitably lead to the unwanted conclusion that the 
"Communist" state must dissappear.  The counterrevoultionary who concocted this 
evil view was fortunately "silenced" by a heroe of the revolution in Mexico, 
where he finally met revolutionary justice.  Since there was no CIA in those 
times we cannot adscribe to him membership in that organization.

22.-Latin American Communspeak:"Agente de la CIA"

Sense: Any individual in #8 which has had any quality of leardership.

23.-Latin American Communspeak:"Vanguardia del proletariado"

Sense: Synonymous with "elementos mas avanzados de la clase obrera".  Refers 
to any faithful communist who can see what the common masses cannot.  His 
superior intelect allows him to see reality with better "tools of analysis" 
than other "less advanced" working class members.  The cadres within the party, 
particularly the Central Comittee are obviously the most advanced within the 
most advanced, and certainly quality is the sole criteria for leadership (no 
affirmative action please).

24.-Latin American Communspeak:"Comite Central"

Sense: Set of advanced individuals wich usually are compelled to chose a 
"secretary general" and who direct all other "base" committees under the 
principle of "democratic centralism" (see above).  In popular terms, the are 
the jefes of the "revolution".  

25.-Latin American Communspeak:"estrategia"

Sense: ultimate political objective of the party: gain power by debunking the 
capitalist state and replacing it with your own.  All other objectives 
(socialism, communism, democratic centralism) are subordinated to this one.  
Generally strategies have been secuenced into stages: first we gain the sypathy 
of the national petty bourgeouise by pitching it against the imperialist 
dictatorship, and establish a sort of nationalist democracy under our control, 
then we proclaim socialism to gain the aid of other "socialists" in the world 
and finally we reveal to everyone that we are garden variety communists. 

26.-Latin American Communspeak:"tactica"

Sense: means by which you arrive at your objective.  General speaking all 
peaceful means are out of the question.  Only in certain cases can Communists 
utilize bourgeoise democracy so that they can later destroy it (e.g.: Chile).  
In all other situations, armed struggle will be the best and only succesful 
method to this date.  In no other place on the planet has communists been put 
in power thru peaceful means (again: Chile and Indonesia are the dubious 
exceptions).  It may begin with one or two acts of terrorism (linea foquista) 
or end up with massified insurrections of populations who have been pushed to 
the wall by greedy dictators.

27.-Latin American Communspeak:"Centros de cuidado medico"

Sense: Jails in which HIV infected prisoners are confined in order to keep the 
infected population small so that "jineteras(os)" (hookers) can safely copulate 
with solidarizing Canadian tourists in foreign owned Cuban beaches.


Any other terms to add to the dictionary will be appreciated.

Edelmiro Salas