Cultural Imperialism: Linguistic Perversion and Obfuscation of Empire Building By James Petras Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, November 17, 2018

Introduction

In the contemporary world, western imperialist propagandists, particularly
journalists and editors of the mass media, have resorted to perverting everyday concepts
and the language of politics.

The use and abuse of the language of politics has served to blame victims and to
justify imperial aggressors. The consequences are multiple, both in legitimizing war
crimes and economic plunder, as well as neutralizing domestic opposition.
We will proceed by identifying the key terminology which furthers imperial
aggression. We will then describe the economic and political objectives of linguistic
imperialism.

We will conclude by examining the political/cultural alternatives.
Critique of Concepts: Nationalism and Populism.

The most abused and obfuscated concept in the modern imperial lexicon is
‘populism’.

In its original meaning ‘populism’ referred to mass movements composed of
exploited workers. Popular movements fought oligarchical bankers and media moguls.

At the turn of the 19th and the early decades of the 20th century, populists formed
powerful political movements and electoral parties in the US, Canada, Russia and
Western Europe.

By the mid 20th century, populist parties and movements multiplied, and in some
cases, came to power in Asia and Latin America. Populist movements gained mass
support in Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Mexico. In the United States populist parties and
movement represented farmers who fought railroad monopolies, bankers and corrupt
political bosses. Their objective was to secure fair market prices for transport , moderate
interest rates from banks and honest elections, free of corruption by political
bosses.Populists elected several governors,scores of mayors and several state
legislaturers.

In Latin America, populist parties in Peru (APRA) fought for indigenous rights,
opposing neo-colonial and oligarchical rule.In Argentina, Brazil and Mexico populist
parties led by Juan Peron, Getulio Vargas and Lazaro Cardenas fought and secured
workers’ rights, and national ownership of essential resources (especially the oil fields).
They successfully launched national industrialization programs.

Similar developments took place in China, the Philippines, Indo-China and India.
Nationalism and populism were the twin motors of independence and social justice.
Nationalism was based on ending imperial domination and recovering national
cultural values free from colonial impositions. By the turn of the 21st century with the rise

and advance of post-colonial regimes, the western imperial powers sought to denigrate
the movements and parties which questioned their legitimacy.

No longer could the imperial powers rely on the ideology of beneficent empires
(“the white mans’ burden”). Nor could they claim that foreign capital exploitation and
pillage were serving ‘nation-building’.

Imperial ideology resorted to distorting and reverting the positive concepts
associated with liberation struggles into their opposite. Instead they associated populism
with oppressive and authoritarian doctrines of regressive regimes.

Populism was emptied of its original emancipatory content and replaced by, and
associated with reactionary, racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, fascist ideology.
Any and all popular mass movements, independent of their socio-economic
content, were painted with the same regressive content. Likewise, nationalism was
linked with neo-fascists who expelled minorities and migrants.

As a corollary the imperial ideologies presented US and European empire builders
as inclusive upholders of democratic values who fought against ‘nationalists’.
The Use and Abuse of Populism and Nationalism.

The principal enemies of ‘populism’ are staunch western neo-liberal ruling classes
and their venomous scribes in the Financial Times, New York Times; the Washington
Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Anti-populism in defense of ‘western democratic values’ serves as pseudo
progressive propaganda in favor of imperialism. The anti-populist rhetoric amalgamates
rightists and leftists, chauvinists and defenders of national independence.
The purpose was to justify US and EU multiple imperial wars and coups
throughout Asia, the Middle East, North and East Africa and Latin America.
While the ‘virtuous’ anti populist and anti-nationalist rabble-rousing media,
condemn the populists they promote and defend murderous western wars and coups in
Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Honduras, Somalia, South
Sudan, Venezuela and the Ukraine.

‘Anti-nationalism’ serves to disarm pro-independence critics of imperialism and
to ‘legitimize’ western leaders. Media ideologues attacked rightists, ‘nationalists’, who
attack immigrants but obfuscated the fact that the immigrants were victims of western
imperial military invasions.

Rightist domestic nationalists and neo-liberal imperialists reflect two-sides of the
same coin. One excited the nationalist passions of the masses, the other proceeded to
satisfy the voracious appetite for capitalist profits.

Anti-populism and nationalism, were the driving force of neo-liberal elites which
exploits the domestic workforce and attacks social welfare and workplace democracy.
They portrayed popular social movements as versions of ‘populism to be condemned as
enemies of free-markets and free elections.

Nationalists opposed to imperial wars are denigrated as authoritarian enemies of
western security, globalization and democratic values.

Conclusion

US and EU imperialism face adversaries from within and without. Domestic
opposition has turned against costly wars and financial profiteering and has turned in
favor of greater welfare.

In desperate need for a new ideological defense, the western powers have
fabricated new enemies, labeled ‘populists’, a disguise for supporting economic
oligarchs. The western elites seek to undermine anti-imperialists by lumping them with
far-right nationalists.

The ideologists of western imperialism have other propaganda tools. National
independence militants are equated with ‘terrorists’. Russian defenders of secure borders
are described as authoritarian expansionists. China’s international economic networks are
dubbed ‘colonial debts collectors.

The mass media’s drum beat is necessary to obfuscate reality. The US and EU
have nearly 200 overseas military bases throughout the world. China has a tiny base in
East Africa.

The US has a string of military bases surrounding China. Beijing lacks a single
overseas military base surrounding the US.

While western colonial and neo-colonial elites plunder Asia, Africa and Latin
America, China finances infrastructure, invests in productive enterprises and does not
operate military bases to intervene in Third World countries.

The US and Europe hijack progressive concepts like populists and invert their
meaning, into regressive reactionary movements, parties and personalities.
Pro-imperial colonialist racist labels are pinned on ‘nationalists’ many of whom
are defenders of national sovereignty and oppose imperial hegemony. Political language
at the service of empire is no virtue!

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