this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2025
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71% of Americans say the US should spend more on "assistance to the poor". But if you use the word "welfare" that number drops to 30% (lemmynsfw.com)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Words matter.

You aren't writing an academic paper. Always use simple direct language.

  • Help the poor
  • Healthcare for everyone
  • Good treatment at work.

Don't use complex words.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Did the study define the kinds of assistance at all or was it simply the choice of terms?

“Welfare” is defined and had a lot of baggage with it. Opinion about welfare can be wildly different individually and demographically.

“Assistance” isn’t defined, people can place their own restrictions on what that hypothetical assistance is, who gets it based on their own prejudices, needs, and ideology.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Nah, see, you're falling into the trap. "Welfare" has baggage only because conservatives have attached baggage to it via their relentless propaganda campaigns. In practice, welfare is literally just assistance. In practice, the two words are synonymous. The fact that you perceive a difference in them is evidence that the conservative propaganda is working.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

Kind of you to assume it was my baggage I was describing, and that I don’t understand the subject at hand.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago

Pleasure's all mine, partner