Dog-whistle politics
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Dog-whistle politics is a term used to describe a type of political campaigning which is "only heard" by a specific intended audience. It is usually used pejoratively by those that do not approve of the tactics.
The term is by analogy to dog whistles, built in such a way that humans cannot hear them due to their high frequency, but dogs can. It could be argued that the term is disparaging of those who can hear the dog whistle message.
The term originated in Australian politics in the late 1990s, on occasion used to describe the Howard Government's policy crack down on illegal immigration. The Australian Government took a strong stand against illegal immigration, which was highly popular amongst a segment of voters on both sides of the usual political divide, and which contributed to the winning of the 2001 Australian Federal Election.
As a reaction to this political success, some commentators have argued that the stand was playing to 'racist' fears in the community, despite the Government never using overtly racist terminology.
The term is thought to have been introduced to the United Kingdom by Lynton Crosby, where it played a role in the 2005 general election; Michael Howard was often accused of practising "dog-whistle politics" on contentious subjects like immigration, with a campaign slogan that asked "Are you thinking what we're thinking?".
The term might also be seen as somewhat analogous to a term commonly employed in the United States, wedge politics.
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