VOX: The sneaky language today's politicians use to get away with racism and sexism [View all]

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http://www.vox.com/2016/2/1/10889138/coded-language-thug-bossy

In 2015, a CNN segment over a word turned into an awkward, dramatic confrontation. When host Erin Burnett asked why the word "thug" isn't an acceptable way to describe predominantly black protesters and rioters in Baltimore, City Councilman Carl Stokes responded, "Come on. So calling them thugs? Just call them ni**ers."

Burnett, who is white, didn't seem to understand the history that made the word offensive to black Americans. Stokes, who is black, reacted to Burnett's comments with a blunt description of how many black people interpret "thug" when it's lodged against them.

How could a word be interpreted so differently by two groups of people? It's because of a phenomenon known as coded language, a subtle way members of the public, media, and politicians talk about race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion in the US. And with the Black Lives Matter movement and Donald Trump's rise in the Republican primaries, coded language is at the forefront of public dialogue.

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What follows is a list of 12 examples of coded language, derived from my conversation with Haney-López, my personal experience, and peers who have encountered this type of language.