Trope (politics)

Cliché stories in politics

Look up Trope in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Tropes are narratives that often rely on symbols or myths to inform beliefs in politics and political science. John S. Nelson argued in 1998 that tropes were not examined enough, and that being more aware of them would improve political discussion and debate.[1] In 2021, Renée DiResta argued for prebunking health misinformation tropes as a way of reducing the spread of misleading information.[2]

## Types

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* Ableist tropes[3][4]
* Antisemitic tropes[5][6]
* Childless cat ladies[7]
* Fascist tropes[8]
* Health misinformation tropes[2]
* Outside agitators at protests[9][10]
* Racist tropes[11][12]
* The invisible hand[13]

## American political tropes

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* American exceptionalism[14]
* Coastal elites vs. the heartland[15][16]
* Deep state conspiracy theory[17]
* Illegal immigration and crime[18][19][20]
* Race and crime[21][22]
* The welfare queen[23][20][24]

## See also

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* Trope (disambiguation)
* Framing (social sciences)

## References

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1. ^ Lisle, Debbie (June 1999). "Book Review: John S. Nelson, Tropes of Politics: Science, Theory, Rhetoric, Action (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998, 291 pp., £39.99 hbk. £13.57 pbk.)". Millennium: Journal of International Studies. 28 (2): 439–441. doi:10.1177/03058298990280020423. ISSN 0305-8298.
2. ^ a b DiResta, Renée. "'Prebunking' Health Misinformation Tropes Can Stop Their Spread". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
3. ^ Grue, Jan (2023-03-14). "The disabled villain: why sensitivity reading can't kill off this ugly trope". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
4. ^ Rajkumar, Shruti (August 8, 2022). "How to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ableist tropes". NPR.
5. ^ Foran, Clare (2024-05-01). "House passes antisemitism bill as Johnson highlights campus protests". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
6. ^ Burton, Tara Isabella (2018-11-02). "The centuries-old history of Jewish "puppet master" conspiracy theories". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
7. ^ Treisman, Rachel (July 29, 2024). "JD Vance went viral for 'cat lady' comments. The centuries-old trope has a long tail". NPR.
8. ^ Illing, Sean (2018-09-19). "How fascism works". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
9. ^ Zhou, Li (2020-06-03). "The trope of "outside agitators" at protests, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
10. ^ Kaur, Harmeet (2024-04-27). "Examining the long history of the 'outside agitator' narrative". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
11. ^ "Trump's attacks on prosecutors echo long history of racist language". PBS News. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
12. ^ Kessler, Glenn (2024-09-14). "Analysis | Fact-checking 55 suspect claims, mostly Trump's, in debate with Harris". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
13. ^ Menand, Louis (2023-07-17). "The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
14. ^ Walt, Stephen M. (2024-09-26). "The Myth of American Exceptionalism". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
15. ^ King, Shaun (2017-12-29). "Republicans Mock "Coastal Elites," But the Trump Administration Is Full of Them". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
16. ^ Birbiglia, Mike (2021-01-28). "Hell Gig". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
17. ^ "Explained | The Long List of Marjorie Taylor Greene's Antisemitic, anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theories". Haaretz. Feb 4, 2021.
18. ^ Ulloa, Jazmine (April 28, 2022). "G.O.P. Concocts Fake Threat: Voter Fraud by Undocumented Immigrants". New York Times.
19. ^ Oremus, Will (2024-09-16). "Analysis | How Trump's pet-eating claim became a meme for right and left alike". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
20. ^ a b Dalmia, Shikha (2019-01-16). "The Myth of Mass Immigration". Reason.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
21. ^ Lacy, Akela (2024-04-02). ""Crime Has Been a Euphemism for Race": Alameda County's Reform DA Rejects Recall Narrative". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
22. ^ Jenkins, Alan (2020-06-10). "Studios Should Flag Scripts for Harmful Stereotypes With a "Bigotry Pass" (Guest Column)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
23. ^ Covert, Bryce (2019-07-02). "The Myth of the Welfare Queen". The New Republic. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
24. ^ Palma, Bethania (2019-06-19). "Do Seniors Pay for Medicare While 'Illegal Immigrants' Get It Free?". Snopes. Retrieved 2024-09-26.

## Further reading

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* Tropes of Politics by John S. Nelson (1998)