If you’ve tuned into talk radio or scrolled the internet, you’ve heard them: “Deep State,” “Globalist,” “False Flag,” and others, shouted with more volume than understanding. These buzzwords are flung like darts, meant to vilify opponents and sound “awake,” but they drown out thoughtful debate. Labeling everyone we disagree with is a problem for all of us. In the spirit of open discourse and factual policymaking, we should trade lightweight slogans for critical thinking and respect, even for those we oppose.
These terms tap into primal fears of powerlessness, forging tribal in-groups where outrage feels like action. They’re catchy, repeatable, and make users feel like insiders who “see the lies.” But they turn conversations into echo chambers, where no one listens and everyone shouts in violent agreement. Recognizing this isn’t about mockery; it’s about reclaiming clarity when algorithms reward emotion over truth. Studies of online discourse show such language thrives on fear and division, not facts. Here are the worst offenders.
Deep State – started in Turkey, describing shadowy military-political ties, but in America, it’s a catch-all for any government action someone dislikes. It paints unelected bureaucrats as a sinister force subverting the people’s will. Social media blames it for election losses or policy flops; talk radio calls it the “real enemy.” Vague yet ominous, it kills accountability. Real reform is worth pursuing – I’ve used the term myself – but chasing shadows isn’t progress.
New World Order & Globalist – “New World Order” once meant post-WWII global cooperation but now fuels fantasies of a one-world tyranny. “Globalist,” originally for free trade advocates, is a sneer implying elitism, sometimes with anti-Semitic undertones. Internet memes tie them to figures like Bill Gates; they’re slung at anyone backing climate or trade deals, like Alaska’s fishery agreements. These words flatten policy debates into patriot-versus-puppet-master narratives, offering heat without insight.
Neo-Con – short for neoconservative, once described liberals turned conservative hawks pushing interventionist foreign policy. Now, it’s a slur for alleged warmongers or elites driving wars, often tied to “Deep State” plots. Social media links it to federal overreach, like Pentagon contracts bypassing Alaskan communities. Talk radio calls out “Neo-Con” agendas in Arctic militarization debates. It’s a vague jab that muddies discussions of national security, replacing reason with suspicion.
False Flag – described historical military deceptions but now brands tragedies like mass shootings or 9/11 as staged to justify control. Paired with “crisis actor” claims accusing victims of faking pain, as in cruel Sandy Hook conspiracies online, it turns grief into theater. In Alaska, some tie it to skepticism about disaster response, eroding trust and empathy. It’s not skepticism, it’s cynicism wrapped in harm.
Illuminati – refers to a 1770s Bavarian group pushing Enlightenment ideals, long disbanded. Now, it’s a catch-all for a secret cabal controlling politics and culture, from banking to Hollywood. In Alaska, conspiracists link it to HAARP’s ionosphere experiments near Gakona, claiming the array’s antennas are Illuminati tech for weather control. It’s a vague but potent symbol of hidden power.
Stakeholder – is one of those words that sounds harmless, even positive. It’s often used to describe anyone with skin in the game such as people affected by a decision or invested in its outcome. But lately, conspiracy theorists have turned it into a slur, suggesting it masks global or corporate control. In truth, the term’s weakness isn’t evil intent but vagueness. It can mean everyone and therefore no one, allowing governments or corporations to claim “engagement” while stacking advisory groups. In Alaska, so-called stakeholder meetings for projects like Pebble Mine sometimes happen after key decisions are made, giving only the illusion of influence. The result flatters the public’s sense of inclusion while quietly preserving top-down control.
Great Reset & 15-Minute Cities – The “Great Reset,” a World Economic Forum economic plan, is twisted into a global enslavement scheme. “15-Minute Cities,” an urban design for walkable neighborhoods, becomes a “climate lockdown” trap. Talk radio paints them as apocalyptic; social media decries them as WEF-orchestrated control. These distortions bury legitimate debates about economic recovery or urban planning, hindering good governance.
Carbon Capture Cabal – turns a technology, trapping CO2 emissions, into a plot by oil companies and the government to prolong drilling while pocketing green subsidies, like Exxon’s Wyoming project tied to 45Q tax credits. Online, it’s linked to “Net Zero” tyranny; on radio, it’s billionaire profiteering. Distrust in green tech is healthy, but this term inflames rather than informs, sidelining serious environmental discussions.
M2 Money Supply – is a measure of cash and savings. It is a real economics term turned into doomsday fuel. Social media charts scream “dollar collapse,” ignoring context like demand, velocity, or post-pandemic spending shifts. Talk radio uses it to stoke fears of inflation crushing Anchorage grocery budgets, framing it as a banker’s plot. It’s fear marketing, not policy debate, drowning out serious monetary discussions.
NPC – or non-player character is video game slang for scripted figures with no player input. It mocks opponents as mindless drones. Born on 4chan in 2018, it’s slung online with taunts like “NPC detected” to dismiss mainstream views. Talk radio uses it to flatter “awake” listeners as the real players. It’s intellectual laziness, dehumanizing disagreement and poisoning debate.
Sheeple – blending “sheep” and “people,” derides the masses as blindly following authority. Popular in anti-vax and QAnon circles, it’s tossed online to scorn non-believers or on radio to hype the “enlightened.” Calling dissenters brainwashed isn’t clever, it’s a cheap shot that shuts down dialogue.
There’s a pattern here: each term starts with a grain of truth; government opacity, corporate greed, media bias; but balloons into distrustful exaggeration. They simplify the world into belief or betrayal, growing echo chambers and killing civility. Their overuse is designed to band together a tribe of like-minded conspirators and create distrust and noise, not find real solutions using logic, rhetoric, and reason.
Government must earn trust through transparency. But undisciplined skepticism breeds paranoia. Overused labels aren’t solutions; they cloud clarity. When you hear “Deep State” on talk radio or see “Globalist” in a meme, pause. Ask what it means. Demand evidence. Outrage isn’t thought.
To fix what’s wrong with Alaska and our country, we need truth, courage, and dialogue born of intelligent thought, not buzzwords.
Originally published on Substack: https://kevinjmccabe.substack.com/p/the-overused-buzzwords-of-conspiracy