Un-American
Encyclopedia
Un-American is a pejorative term of US political discourse which is applied to people or institutions in the United States
seen as deviating from US norms.
The most famous use is in the title of the House Un-American Activities Committee
which was started to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having Communist ties. By 1959, former President Harry S. Truman
had denounced the Committee as the "most un-American thing in the country today." The Committee lost considerable prestige as the 1960s progressed, and it was abolished by the House of Representatives in 1975.
The use and meaning of the term is by no means uniform in the US. Due in part to these historical associations with political abuses and jingoism
, the attitudes of Americans toward the pejorative use of "Un-American" are often critical or suspicious. Moreover, Americans may vary widely in what they believe to be un-American.
Additionally, some have described as un-American recent federal legislation in the U.S. that they view as an attack on civil liberties
. The term (or similar sentiments) has been used by political supporters in the media to describe actions or beliefs that are critical of their candidate's policies.
The term "un-American" may be used in ad hominem
attacks, meant to quash the arguments of American opponents by depicting them as subversive, unpatriotic or deviant. As a result, it is often used in a satirical or sarcastic manner; similarly, its frequent appearance in situations that do not merit its use has further diluted its original, pre-McCarthyism
meaning.
convened to consider a bill banning plastic shopping bags from the city in order to protect the marine life of Chesapeake Bay
. Safeway
characterized the Annapolis bill and presumably the motives of its proponents, as "un-American":
"At the hearing, a lobbyist for Safeway called the bill 'un-American,' saying it would take choices away from consumers."
to end the collective bargaining
rights of public employees was "un-American".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
seen as deviating from US norms.
The most famous use is in the title of the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
which was started to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having Communist ties. By 1959, former President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
had denounced the Committee as the "most un-American thing in the country today." The Committee lost considerable prestige as the 1960s progressed, and it was abolished by the House of Representatives in 1975.
The use and meaning of the term is by no means uniform in the US. Due in part to these historical associations with political abuses and jingoism
Jingoism
Jingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. In practice, it is a country's advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests...
, the attitudes of Americans toward the pejorative use of "Un-American" are often critical or suspicious. Moreover, Americans may vary widely in what they believe to be un-American.
Modern usage
Recent years have seen the term applied liberally regardless of political persuasion. It is most often used by a person commenting on the beliefs or actions of others that they believe is contrary to "American values." This highlights the wide variance in personal definitions of the phrase.Additionally, some have described as un-American recent federal legislation in the U.S. that they view as an attack on civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
. The term (or similar sentiments) has been used by political supporters in the media to describe actions or beliefs that are critical of their candidate's policies.
The term "un-American" may be used in ad hominem
Ad hominem
An ad hominem , short for argumentum ad hominem, is an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it...
attacks, meant to quash the arguments of American opponents by depicting them as subversive, unpatriotic or deviant. As a result, it is often used in a satirical or sarcastic manner; similarly, its frequent appearance in situations that do not merit its use has further diluted its original, pre-McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
meaning.
Plastic bag ban "Un-American"
On July 23, 2007, the City Council of Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
convened to consider a bill banning plastic shopping bags from the city in order to protect the marine life of Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
characterized the Annapolis bill and presumably the motives of its proponents, as "un-American":
"At the hearing, a lobbyist for Safeway called the bill 'un-American,' saying it would take choices away from consumers."
Collective Bargaining Bill "Un-American"
On February 27, 2011, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy charged that the bill proposed by Wisconsin Governor Scott WalkerScott Walker (politician)
Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...
to end the collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
rights of public employees was "un-American".
See also
- House Un-American Activities CommitteeHouse Un-American Activities CommitteeThe House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
- McCarthyismMcCarthyismMcCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
- JingoismJingoismJingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. In practice, it is a country's advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests...
- Hollywood blacklistHollywood blacklistThe Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
- CensorshipCensorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
- Anti-AmericanismAnti-AmericanismThe term Anti-Americanism, or Anti-American Sentiment, refers to broad opposition or hostility to the people, policies, culture or government of the United States...
- HanjianHanjianIn Chinese culture, a Hanjian is a derogatory and pejorative term for a race traitor to the Han Chinese nation or state, and to a lesser extent, Han ethnicity. The word Hanjian is distinct from the general word for traitor, which could be used for any race or country...
- Un-AustralianUn-AustralianUn-Australian is an increasingly pejorative term used in Australia. In modern usage, it has similar connotations to the US term un-American, however the Australian term is somewhat older, being used as early as 1855 to describe an aspect of the landscape that was similar to that of Britain...
External links
- Enactments So Utterly Un-American
- Didn't Know I Was Unamerican.
- Un-American by Any Name
- Racial Profiling is Un-American
- An “Un-American Bill”: A Congressman Denounces Immigration Quotas
- "Buy American" is un-American
- Ken Lay's Un-American Activities
- "Shameful" Rush Limbaugh "Un-American"
- FOX Sics Its Dogs on "Un-American" Professors
- It's Downright Un-American