Astroturfing the Lexicon

"Whoever controls the media, controls the mind." Jim Morrison

We love words. "Buzzworthy" words gain a place in the Oxford Dictionaries or Merriam-Webster Dictionary, On-line Slang Dictionary, Urban Dictionary...f-bomb, aha moment, twerking... Words are judged to be politically correct, or not. Do you recall a time when politically correct wasn't even a phrase (or human resources)? Words can separate generations, be fashionable, or not. Booyah is supposedly out, along with awesome. Now it's dope (for awesome), BFF, Ho, hardcore...So much for the Andy Rooney moment.

Astroturf is synonymous with big money, big control. "Astroturf refers to apparently grassroots-based citizen groups or coalitions that are primarily conceived, created, and/or funded by corporations, industry trade associations, political interests or public relations firms." And according to sourcewatch.org the word is credited to long-time Washington and Wall Street Insider, Senator Lloyd Bensten when he coined the term "astroturf lobbying".

Astroturfing is nothing new; it's just a new name akin to yellow journalism, but a process on steroids. Astroturfing surreptitiously exists, hiding in forums, comments to articles, blogs, published letters to the editor, ads, in nonprofits, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and faked as grassroots movements. And as a friend says, "Follow the money." Sometimes we can figure out the connections by looking at board members for newspapers and organizations, in the "about" section in websites, conflict of interest relationships, or muckety muck connections, but a lot of the special interest, familial, acquaintance and money connections are difficult to find. In conjunction with the well-paid, ubiquitous lobbyists it's no wonder astroturfing is effective in bombarding, influencing, and confusing the public.

Democracy Now! was a website to visit and on my site list until discovering Amy Goodman is paid $2 Million/year salary, and funded by George Soros (The Corbett Report), billionaire financier, described by some as a former Kapo during the Holocaust while others called Soros' actions a way to survive, called an "economic war criminal" by Thailand, "the man who broke the bank of England", etc. who claims he's a messianic figure and "...I fancied myself as some kind of god...".

Besides looking for the money connections, we can acclimate ourselves with the lexicon of the astroturfers, which include but may not be limited to words such as:

• crank
• myth
• quacks
• railing
• paranoid
• alarmist(s)
• fear monger(s)
• fear porn
• conspiracy theorist(s)
• lunatic(s), lunatic fringe
• tin-foil hat wearer(s)
• truther
• crack
• nutty/nuts
• lies
• witchhunt
• shoddy
• pseudo
• troll 
• moonbats

Astroturfers working in conjunction with Agenda 21 goals may use words such as, but not limited to:

comprehensive list of key words and phrases that are often used at the local level when discussing Agenda 21 related initiatives.
Affordable housing Ballot Box Planning Benefit of all Benefits-Driven Buffer Zones Cap & Trade Choice Climate Change Common Core Curriculum Common good Community Protocol Comprehensive planning Consensus Conservation Easement Direct instruction Downzoning Endangered species Environment Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Environmental Justice Equity Facilitator Fair General Plan Global Warming Good Business Sense Grants Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions Greenways Growth management Habitat HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) Communities Healthy Communities Strategy High Speed Rail Historic preservation Housing Element Inclusive Inter-disciplinary International baccalaureate International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Invasive species Jobs-Housing Connection Land Use Policies Lifelong learning Livable communities Livable Communities Local Local Governments for Sustainability Metropolitan Planning Organizations Mixed Use Development Modeling Multi-Use Dwellings New Economy New Urbanism New World Order One planet communities Open Space Outcome based education Outcomes Parking Policy Precautionary approach Precautionary Principle Preserve Priority Conservation Areas Priority Development Areas (PDA) Prosperity Protect Public/Private partnerships Quality of life Redevelopment Regional Resilient Cities Responsible development Restoration Safe Routes to Schools Sanctuary Scenic views and vistas School to work Sensitive Lands Smart growth Smart Streets Social justice Stack and Pack Housing Stakeholder Sustainable Communities Initiative Sustainable communities partnership Sustainable communities strategies Sustainable development Sustainable Economic Development Sustainable medicine Three "E"s of Sustainablity-Equity, Economy, Environment Traffic calming Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Transportation Justice Triple bottom line Upzoning Urban Growth Boundary Urban revitalization Vehicle Mileage Traveled Tax Vibrant Neighborhoods Vision Visioning Meetings Walkable Communities Watershed Wetlands Wildlands

Words aren't enough, though. In the movie "I am David", the main character asks Sophie, How can I tell the good people from the bad. And Sophie's reply is that sometimes you can't.

 But question. And keep digging.