#weaselwords — Public Fediverse posts

@mogelpony @march War da bei Fr. Prien womöglich eine ungekennzeichnete KI im Spiel?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:AIWEASEL

#WeaselWords

John Stewart was on fire about the recent tarmac confabulations by our Orange God King.. 🤮

Also, #Trump just #voted by #mail in #Florida! 🙄

#WeaselWords #IllegalWar #Iran #Hormuz #TrumpLies

John Stewart was on fire about the recent tarmac confabulations by our Orange God King.. 🤮

Also, #Trump just #voted by #mail in #Florida! 🙄

#WeaselWords #IllegalWar #Iran #Hormuz #TrumpLies

John Stewart was on fire about the recent tarmac confabulations by our Orange God King.. 🤮

Also, #Trump just #voted by #mail in #Florida! 🙄

#WeaselWords #IllegalWar #Iran #Hormuz #TrumpLies

John Stewart was on fire about the recent tarmac confabulations by our Orange God King.. 🤮

Also, #Trump just #voted by #mail in #Florida! 🙄

#WeaselWords #IllegalWar #Iran #Hormuz #TrumpLies

John Stewart was on fire about the recent tarmac confabulations by our Orange God King.. 🤮

Also, #Trump just #voted by #mail in #Florida! 🙄

#WeaselWords #IllegalWar #Iran #Hormuz #TrumpLies

The use of parody to illustrate how language sidesteps the Constitution.
https://philosophics.blog/2026/03/08/psa-is-it-war/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #parody #satire #humour #comedy #gameshow #video #youtube #short #war #politics #statement #morality #trump #weaselwords

@dangillmor

CNN: mealy-mouthed weasel words!

#USPol #corruption #USBusiness #conflictOfInterest #weaselWords #legacyMedia #reconnectingConsequencesToCauses

I've long had an issue with the English 'why'. Dan Dennett had similar misgivings.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/01/18/the-metaphysics-of-why-a-scavengers-guide-to-the-accident/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

The term in English carries a lot of metaphysical baggage – more than necessary.

#language #semantics #metaphysics #philosophy #perception #weaselwords #intent #causation #truth #meaning #notebooklm #claude #chatgpt #genai

So, three (3) months ago, I got an unexpected letter from my credit card company. They notified me that my account "may" [1] have been compromised, and that "out of an abundance of caution", they were preemptively cancelling my credit card, and issued me a new one (with a different account/card number).

I'd had that card for 20 years. Changing the info held on file at all kinds of online stores and other financial services and various other things took a fair bit of time, spread over a couple of months as I ran into places I'd set up with the old one. But more critically, remembering the *new* number, and getting it into muscle memory, also took quite a while - I had to keep double-checking every time I needed the number, up until about 2 weeks ago, when I started feeling confident I had memorized it correctly.

So today, I get essentially the same letter, and *another* new card/number... 😢 [2]

So I get to do the whole dance again! Here's an idea, but maybe make your systems more secure?

[1] weasel words
[2] in case you're curious, the new one starts with a digit

#CreditCard #fraud #AbundanceOfCaution #WeaselWords #weasel #may #compromised #security #clueless #YourPrivacyIsImportantToUs #privacy #financial

So, three (3) months ago, I got an unexpected letter from my credit card company. They notified me that my account "may" [1] have been compromised, and that "out of an abundance of caution", they were preemptively cancelling my credit card, and issued me a new one (with a different account/card number).

I'd had that card for 20 years. Changing the info held on file at all kinds of online stores and other financial services and various other things took a fair bit of time, spread over a couple of months as I ran into places I'd set up with the old one. But more critically, remembering the *new* number, and getting it into muscle memory, also took quite a while - I had to keep double-checking every time I needed the number, up until about 2 weeks ago, when I started feeling confident I had memorized it correctly.

So today, I get essentially the same letter, and *another* new card/number... 😢 [2]

So I get to do the whole dance again! Here's an idea, but maybe make your systems more secure?

[1] weasel words
[2] in case you're curious, the new one starts with a digit

#CreditCard #fraud #AbundanceOfCaution #WeaselWords #weasel #may #compromised #security #clueless #YourPrivacyIsImportantToUs #privacy #financial

So, three (3) months ago, I got an unexpected letter from my credit card company. They notified me that my account "may" [1] have been compromised, and that "out of an abundance of caution", they were preemptively cancelling my credit card, and issued me a new one (with a different account/card number).

I'd had that card for 20 years. Changing the info held on file at all kinds of online stores and other financial services and various other things took a fair bit of time, spread over a couple of months as I ran into places I'd set up with the old one. But more critically, remembering the *new* number, and getting it into muscle memory, also took quite a while - I had to keep double-checking every time I needed the number, up until about 2 weeks ago, when I started feeling confident I had memorized it correctly.

So today, I get essentially the same letter, and *another* new card/number... 😢 [2]

So I get to do the whole dance again! Here's an idea, but maybe make your systems more secure?

[1] weasel words
[2] in case you're curious, the new one starts with a digit

#CreditCard #fraud #AbundanceOfCaution #WeaselWords #weasel #may #compromised #security #clueless #YourPrivacyIsImportantToUs #privacy #financial

So, three (3) months ago, I got an unexpected letter from my credit card company. They notified me that my account "may" [1] have been compromised, and that "out of an abundance of caution", they were preemptively cancelling my credit card, and issued me a new one (with a different account/card number).

I'd had that card for 20 years. Changing the info held on file at all kinds of online stores and other financial services and various other things took a fair bit of time, spread over a couple of months as I ran into places I'd set up with the old one. But more critically, remembering the *new* number, and getting it into muscle memory, also took quite a while - I had to keep double-checking every time I needed the number, up until about 2 weeks ago, when I started feeling confident I had memorized it correctly.

So today, I get essentially the same letter, and *another* new card/number... 😢 [2]

So I get to do the whole dance again! Here's an idea, but maybe make your systems more secure?

[1] weasel words
[2] in case you're curious, the new one starts with a digit

#CreditCard #fraud #AbundanceOfCaution #WeaselWords #weasel #may #compromised #security #clueless #YourPrivacyIsImportantToUs #privacy #financial

So, three (3) months ago, I got an unexpected letter from my credit card company. They notified me that my account "may" [1] have been compromised, and that "out of an abundance of caution", they were preemptively cancelling my credit card, and issued me a new one (with a different account/card number).

I'd had that card for 20 years. Changing the info held on file at all kinds of online stores and other financial services and various other things took a fair bit of time, spread over a couple of months as I ran into places I'd set up with the old one. But more critically, remembering the *new* number, and getting it into muscle memory, also took quite a while - I had to keep double-checking every time I needed the number, up until about 2 weeks ago, when I started feeling confident I had memorized it correctly.

So today, I get essentially the same letter, and *another* new card/number... 😢 [2]

So I get to do the whole dance again! Here's an idea, but maybe make your systems more secure?

[1] weasel words
[2] in case you're curious, the new one starts with a digit

#CreditCard #fraud #AbundanceOfCaution #WeaselWords #weasel #may #compromised #security #clueless #YourPrivacyIsImportantToUs #privacy #financial

Ah yes, another thrilling tale of Cold War weasel words 🦆 that was presumably inspired by the riveting topic of "possibly possible possibilities." 🥱 Spoiler alert: No one invaded #Yugoslavia in 1951, but the author is here to make *seriously* sure you understand the unseen nuances of CIA paranoia. 😂
https://kucharski.substack.com/p/possibly-a-serious-possibility #ColdWar #WeaselWords #CIAparanoia #History #Humor #PossiblePossibilities #HackerNews #ngated

Headline from @guardian "IDF carries out airstrikes in southern Lebanon ahead of funeral of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah". Why not just "Israel bombs southern Lebanon…"? #WeaselWords

"78 killed in various strikes"

#Lebanon

#BBC #BBCNews #BBCRadio4Today
#WeaselWords #PassiveVoiceCops

"78 killed in various strikes"

#Lebanon

#BBC #BBCNews #BBCRadio4Today
#WeaselWords #PassiveVoiceCops

"78 killed in various strikes"

#Lebanon

#BBC #BBCNews #BBCRadio4Today
#WeaselWords #PassiveVoiceCops

"78 killed in various strikes"

#Lebanon

#BBC #BBCNews #BBCRadio4Today
#WeaselWords #PassiveVoiceCops

"78 killed in various strikes"

#Lebanon

#BBC #BBCNews #BBCRadio4Today
#WeaselWords #PassiveVoiceCops

London Drugs, B.C. officials lean on irksome wordplay amid cyberattacks #weaselwords

https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/rob-shaw-london-drugs-bc-officials-lean-on-irksome-wordplay-amid-cyberattacks-8816470

@newsmast @whencyclopedia @womensvoices you know, the more I think on this ... the more I think the word "respect" has been co-opted to mean different things in different, coded, situations:

▪ respect is due all white men, regardless of skills, accomplishments, morality, etc.

▪ respect is granted to some others (ex: when it is earned.)

I will be much more careful in how I use that word, in future 🤔😕 #eww

#weaselWords #whiteSupremacy
#racism #misogyny

Let’s start with this little snippet right here.

'Reviewing … the effectiveness of universal 20mph roads to alleviate traffic congestion.'

Sounds pretty banal. Except… Is she for 20mph limits or against them?

#WeaselWords #SiamaQadar #Tories #Lewisham #DailyHate #ukpolitics #lbl #localelections

@luckytran Some more wonderful #weaselwords for @selfhelp_ebooks.

Also see https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/07/cop28-delegates-rest-day-dubai #COP28 #CopOut

@dangillmor

“Weasel Rhetoric” to go with “Weasel Words”?

1) An equivocal word used to deprive a statement of its force or to evade a direct commitment.

2) A word used to qualify a statement so as to make it potentially misleading.

3) An equivocal qualification; a word used to avoid making an outright assertion.

Source: Am Heritage Dictionary

https://richard.rathe.org/deception-obfuscation-misdirection

#WeaselWords #Propaganda #Enshittification

Often, when I see someone promoting something to be the BEST of a set, I wonder. Who decided that it was the best? What method did they use? Did they publish their analysis? Was it done according to some recognized standard?

In advertisements, often "the best" is just a weasel expression. It was declared "the best" by the people who produce it and have absolutely no vested interest in the outcome. 😉 It was declared the best by some rubber-stamping organization. They call it "the best" but it is really a matter of preference.

"The best flavor of ice cream is vanilla!"

😩 Yep, you can have your preference, but don't elevate it to objective fact.

I harp on advertisement, but this does not happen only in ads. Someone posted something about a 17th century Swedish ship being "the best preserved" and I asked myself all these questions.

#TheBest #ActuallyAutistic #WeaselWords #ad #advertisement #marketing

#MichaelKnowles claims his eradication remark isn't about people

The #WeaselWords #conservatives invented, #Transgenderism and #TransgenderIdeology, are #nonsense

#Transgender is an umbrella for #GenderVariant people. A biological #spectrum exists past the #binary

#GOP pretends everything's one of only two possibilities. #Abortion always takes a life. Banning it always protects a life. There are only XX female and XY male humans. #Science and #history prove both wrong

https://t.co/W9XdsAI8yr

Oh wow, it's taken many weeks, but I think I've finally achieved some kind of consensus on #Wikipedia that this was not, in fact, a neutral way of describing the controversies around #ABA: "ABA is considered controversial by some within the autism rights movement due to a perception that it emphasizes normality instead of acceptance, and a history of, in some embodiments of ABA and its predecessors, the use of aversives, such as electric shocks."
#weaselWords

Gah! The hardest part of #revision and #writing is the searching for and replacing words like "just" and "almost." My eyes glaze over, I start sweeping the floor, and posting on Mastodon...

#goForTheJoke #Procrastination to the max!

#weaselwords #hedgeWords: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/109848411474463991

Here's some #writingAdvice: Create a list of problem words that flag problems in your writing as you #revise. Here's my list of #hedgeWords and #weaselWords.

(Reply with yours! I'll add them. Boost to share with others.)

• about (as in approximately)
• almost
• “and” conjunction run-ons. Could you break that sentence into two and save the conjunction?
• already
• barely
• begin
• “but” conjunction run-ons. Could you break that sentence and two and still provide the same contrast?
• can (in the sense of maybe)
• certainly
• generally
• I/he saw that (If the act of observation is paramount, don’t remove, don't remove such constructions.)
• I/he heard that
• I/he read that
• I/he felt that
• I/he noticed that
• I/he recognized that
• just
• kind of
• like
• maybe
• mostly
• near (in the sense of almost)
• of course
• one (in the sense of quantity when stating such is unnecessary)
• one (as a pronoun—generally sounds bad)
• perhaps
• possibly
• potentially (in the sense of maybe)
• probably
• really (the interject
• seems
• some (in the sense of indeterminate)
• sort of
• start, started to
• still
• surprisingly
• that (a latinate construction that can often be omitted when used to introduce a subordinate clause, but not always. Comprehension is paramount.)
• usually
• you can (verb)

My biggest bugaboos are words that soften (hedge) the impact of a sentence or keep the narrator from (weaselly) committing to action. Both kill effective narration, as the narrator knows all tells what's necessary. Careful, though. Such word mimic normal speech, as between subordinate and dominant people and in cautious conversation.

When you find these words, stop and examine the context of the word.

• Does the word serve a purpose? If not, delete. I suggest removing it provisionally; this makes it clear.
• Can a strong word substitute? If, substitute.
• Is something lost if the word, phrase, or sentence is removed? If not, delete.
• Can a previous sentence imply what this one does? (Ellipsis)
• Will recasting the sentence clarify or strength the it?

A good list should transform your prose, turning hesitancy to decisive action. Deleting these words removes verbiage, making your writing concise and hard-edged. Each and every word must serve a purpose, whether functional or aesthetic.

#boostingIsSharing

#amRevising #writing #fiction #writingLife

@MichaelPryor This is my life as I #amrevising, along with about, almost, barely, begin, but, certainly, generally, I saw/felt/heard/read/thought that, kind of, maybe, mostly, near, of course, one (indefinite pronoun), perhaps, potentially, possibly, probably, really, some, sort of, started, still, that, usually, and you can. These are my weasel and hedge words. Makes you want a macro language in your word processor to help you find them, don't it!

Sadly, I don't smoke.

#writingLife #writing #weaselWords #hedgeWords

#Tory Treasurer hired by #Sunak and #Zahawi rakes it in from #Russian #oil industry - Mirror Online

#PrimeMinister Mr Sunak said, while Chancellor last March: “I am urging firms to think very carefully about their investments in Russia &how they may aid the Putin regime.”

Unsurprisingly ‘carefully’ worded statement from #hypocrite #PM, who has shown in 100Days that he has not an ounce of #integrity
#WeaselWords

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-treasurer-hired-sunak-zahawi-29076834

@PaterSnape
#CounterFactual
#WeaselWords

What goes around comes around. They're now actively seeking ways how to sell their users.

#Mozilla #fake #privacy #weaselwords

"Advertising provides critical support for the Web. We’ve been looking to apply privacy preserving advertising technology to the attribution problem"

https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/privacy-preserving-attribution-for-advertising/