Name calling

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Name calling is a phenomenon studied by a variety of academic disciplines from anthropology, to child psychology, to politics. It is also studied by rhetoricicians, and a variety of other disciplines that study propaganda techniques and their causes and effects. The technique is most frequently employed within political discourse.

[edit] In propaganda and politics

Propagandists use the name-calling technique to incite fears and arouse prejudices in their hearers in the intent that an invoked bad name will cause hearers to construct a negative opinion about a person, group, or set of beliefs or ideas that the propagandist would wish hearers to denounce. The method is intended to provoke conclusions and actions about a matter apart from an impartial examinations of the facts of the matter. When employed, name-calling is thus a substitute for rational, fact-based arguments against an idea or belief, based upon its own merits.^[1]

[edit] In anthropology and childhood psychology

In anthropology and childhood psychology, name-calling is studied to discover how designations of derisive labels constitute a magical attack upon a person or group.^[2]