“The liberal media is biased!” “Republicans are homophobic!” “I pay my taxes so listen to me yell!” Political debate can be spirited and engaging or it can be a huge pain the ass. Especially when those on the losing end pull out buzzword cards to suit their argument, terms used so often without thought they lose all meaning.

For Listed this week, we scoured the dregs of internet comment boards to bring you the five most overused, misunderstood concepts in politics.

5. “Bias”

What it means: “A particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question.”

What it doesn’t mean: Any outlook other than your own.

Everyone has an opinion and that’s fine. Bias enters in when one willfully ignores factual information to suit that opinion. For example, believing illegal immigration is a serious problem is opinion. Believing illegal immigration is a serious problem because a Mexican guy stole your truck is bias. For the former you could come up with all sorts of supportive information, for the latter, you are using an isolated, personal experience to support a “fact.”

Consider a common byline, used by Newsbusters: “Exposing Liberal Media Bias.” By the correct definition any “exposition” would have to show repeated factual inaccuracy and knowledge of such inaccuracies with willful ignorance. In other words, to accuse bias you’d have to catch someone lying, prove they knew they were lying and illustrate why that lie suits them more than telling the truth. Considering most political opinions aren’t “provable” by any reasonable measure, overuse of the word outside, say, science and math makes you a biasshole.

4. “Propaganda”
 
What it means: “Information, ideas, or rumours deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.”

What it doesn’t mean: Any political statement, usually through art, other than your own.

Propaganda has several definitions, one of which is actually correct in the way many armchair politicos use it: “The particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.” But with that almost anything could be propaganda, including the American constitution. Since the rise and fall of fascism however it has taken on a wholly negative connotation in Western politics, meaning an aggressive campaign (or any part of that campaign through media) to promote an oppressive ideology.

It is not anything that promotes an idea you might disagree with. If it were, 90 per cent of everything you’ve ever read, watched or listened to could fit the term. Here’s leftist author Naomi Wolf on a friggin’ Katy Perry music video:

“A total piece of propaganda for the Marines ... I really want to find out if she was paid by them for making it. It is truly shameful... I would suggest a boycott of this singer whom I really liked.”

So Perry made a music video involving the military, essentially confirming the military exists and some people think it’s a good thing, and that qualifies as such severe “propaganda” that ... she shouldn’t be allowed to make music anymore?

3. “Tax”

What it means: “A sum of money demanded by a government for its support or for specific facilities or services, levied upon incomes, property, sales, etc.”

What it doesn’t mean: A sum of money demanded by a government that grants you equal say over every goddamn thing in the world.

How many times have you heard “I pay my taxes!” as an excuse to complain about something the government does? “I don’t think my tax dollars should go towards giving felons pillows.” “My tax dollars pay your salary!” “I pay taxes so screw welfare.”

First of all: everyone pays taxes. Unless you live in a tree, eat food you find on the ground and/or ignore the municipal water supply, you pay taxes. A society that allows its citizens to base its complaints on that fact will grind to a halt. Sometimes the government spends money on things you a) Don’t need b) Don’t want and / or c) Don’t think should exist.

Secondly: How much do you think you’re paying? The average Canadian family (employed, two kids) pays about $8,800 a year in government tax or about 0.08 per cent of what the city of Toronto spends on maintaining transit schedule efficiency in that given year. So the next time you ask where your tax dollars are going, the answer is ... half a bus.

2. “Homophobia”

What it means: “Unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality.”

What it doesn’t mean: Any perceptible discomfort with said homosexuality.

Consider these two scenarios:

A) An openly gay man goes to a job interview. The employer makes several offhand remarks mocking the man’s effeminate behaviour.  

B) An openly gay man goes to a job interview. At the end the employer tells him not to call them back because “We don’t hire homosexuals.”

What’s the difference? In scenario A the employer’s actions were offensive, ignorant and rude. In scenario B they were illegal. There’s a difference between holding prejudice and using a position of power to act on that prejudice. It’s important to remember the distinction because the first employer could have his viewpoint enlightened; he is stupid. The second believes that homosexuality is wrong and actively opposes it; he is homophobic. In 2012 there may be a lot more of the former and less of the latter than we realize.

1. “Free Speech”

What it means (in Canadian law): "Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication."

What it doesn’t mean (anywhere): That someone telling you to shut the hell up violates your “rights.”

There are very few things you aren’t allowed to say in Western society, and most of the time it depends on context. You can talk about how great bombs are, just don’t go near the airport. But no term is more abused in political discourse than “free speech.” Here are four examples.

Let’s look at the Limbaugh case: the radio host got into a giant tub of hot water for calling birth control advocate Sandra Fluke a “slut.” At no point did anyone, to the best of our knowledge, actually attempt to take legal action preventing Limbaugh himself from expressing that opinion. There were calls for retraction, apologies and boycotts but none of those things are technically illegal, just as it isn’t illegal for your boss to fire you for calling him a dick.

This is especially true when it comes to broadcasting. At no time in our relatively brief history of mass communication has it been legal to say absolutely anything you want on the airwaves but that hasn’t stopped hundreds of untold whiners from pulling the “free speech” card whenever it suits them.