LEVEL 1:
DOG WHISTLE OVERVIEW

DUO THE OWL: Translate the following from Racist Dog Whistle to English:

Voter ID laws are important to avoid voter fraud.

Your Answer: Voter ID laws are important to ensure poor people and minorities don’t vote.

DUO: Correct!

Make America Great Again

Your Answer: Let’s go back to the days when we could be blatantly racist, sexist, and homophobic.

DUO: Amazing! Onto the next level. Translate the following from English to Racist Dog Whistle:

We don’t want minorities in our neighborhood.

Your Answer: We want to preserve single-family zoning.

DUO: Wow! You’re getting good at this!

I would like to go back to the days before the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation.

Your Answer: I support states’ rights.

DUO: Great!

I need a respectable way to justify my misogyny and homophobia.

Your Answer: I support family values.

DUO: Excellent! Let’s try something harder now. Translate the following from Racist Dog Whistle to English:

Real Americans don’t want their neighborhoods turning into San Francisco.

Your Answer: LGBTQs don’t belong in this country.

DUO: Great work!

The US should get more immigrants from Norway.

Your Answer: If we are going to accept immigrants, let’s make sure they’re white.

DUO: Impressive! Next, you have two seconds to provide as many dog-whistle definitions of “Democrat” as you can. Go!

Your Answers:
Socialist
Unamerican
Freedom-hater
Elitist
Job killer
Snowflake
Looney leftist
Coming for your guns

DUO: Wow. That is certainly an exhaustive list. You are doing really well! It’s time to increase the difficulty. Translate the following from Racist Dog Whistle to English:

I don’t know anything about David Duke or the KKK.

Your Answer: I have plausible deniability of my racism.

DUO: You’ve answered every question correctly so far! Nice job!

Tax cuts for the rich will pay for themselves through high economic growth.

Your Answer: Tax cuts for the rich will cause an enormous budget deficit, but that will only be cause for concern while a democrat is president. The deficit will then be used as an excuse to cut social programs.

DUO: Correct, but oddly specific.

I support religious freedom.

Your Answer: I quote scripture out of context to justify discriminating against people that I think are icky.

DUO: Are you sure you aren’t already fluent? You have unlocked our next level.

LEVEL 2:
HOW WOULD A RIGHT-WING POLITICIAN
HANDLE THESE QUESTIONS FROM THE PRESS?

What should the Republican party do to attract black voters?

Your Answer: The American people don’t care about these “gotcha” questions. They care about jobs and the economy.

DUO: You sidestepped the question beautifully. Excellent!

Are you concerned that President Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud contributed to the heated political climate that led to the January 6 attack on the Capitol?

Your Answer: The American people don’t care about partisan politics. They care about jobs and the economy.

DUO: Perfect! The “jobs and economy” line can be used any time you want to redirect the narrative. You have mastered Level 2 in record time! Amazing work! At this point, you may be exhausted by the mental gymnastics required to think this way. However, to graduate with Duo Honors, consider taking a deep dive into topics we’ve only scratched the surface of:

  • Why Gerrymandering, Voter Suppression, and the Electoral College are Important for Free and Fair Elections
  • Why Discussions About Racism Are Racist
  • The War on Christmas – It’s Worse Than You Think!