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Watch What Happens When You Search 'Obstructionist' on Thesaurus.com (UPDATE: Site Removes Entry)
July 25, 2014
Other "obstructionist" synonyms include "reactionary," "redneck" and "stick-in-the-mud."
It seems yet another reference site is painting conservatives with a broad, negative brush.
If you search for the word “obstructionist” on Thesaurus.com, the definition is rather benign: “person who is cautious, moderate; an opponent of change.”
But take a gander at some "obstructionist" synonyms and you get “right-winger,” “right,” “rightist,” as well as "reactionary," "redneck" and "stick-in-the-mud."
And wouldn't you know, the site's listed antonyms for "obstructionist" are “left-winger,” “liberal,” “progressive” and "radical":
Thesaurus.com lists Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus as the source of the entry.
There have been other examples of apparent conservative typecasting recently: Last week, Glenn Beck Radio Program cohost Stu Burguiere found that when you type the word "bigotry" into an iPhone, highlight it and click "define," the resulting example sentence using the word reads: “The report reveals racism and right-wing bigotry."
The iPhone utilizes the New Oxford English American Dictionary to define words, and the questionable example sentence appears in the web version of the dictionary as well.
In the web version, however, there is an option to view more example sentences. None say anything about “left-wing bigotry,” but there is a sentence about bigotry leading to empty churches:
Image source: New Oxford American Dictionary
Earlier this month, the Daily Caller found that Merriam-Webster does the same kind of thing, stating that "bigotry" antonyms are "broad-mindedness," "liberalism," "liberality," "tolerance," and "open-mindedness."
But included among the words related to "bigotry"? "Conservatism":
Image source: Merriam-Webster.com
This story has been updated.
(H/T: National Review Online)
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Sr. Editor, News
Dave Urbanski is a senior editor for Blaze News.
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