By Jennifer Roback Morse Published on September 14, 2024, at The Stream
Calling someone a “weasel” is an American idiom that makes an unflattering comparison between a person and an animal. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “weasel” this way:
- Noun: Any of various small, slender, active carnivorous mammals (genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae, the weasel family) that are able to prey on animals (such as rabbits) larger than themselves.
- Noun: A sneaky, untrustworthy or insincere person.
- Intransitive verb: To use weasel words: equivocate.
“Equality” is often a weasel word. There is a valid Christian interpretation of the term, which some do use in good faith. But without question, there are others who are using the term “equality” to gaslight and manipulate, to grasp wealth and power.
The Magic Word
The dictionary goes on to define “equivocate” this way: “to avoid giving a definite answer or position.”
In modern America, “equality” is a weasel word in exactly this sense. We Americans are extremely attached to the idea of equality as an unambiguous good. Once a person invokes the shibboleth of “equality,” he is shielded from having to give precise answers about what he intends to do. Further questions are forbidden.
The concept of “equality” has a couple of traits in which ambiguity can be hidden. This concealed ambiguity, in turn, makes “equality” appealing to those who wish to deceive.
The Word That Means Everything … and Nothing
First, equality is intrinsically a relational concept. One thing cannot stand there and “be equal” all by itself. We have to specify who we are planning to make equal to whom. Are we comparing men and women to each other? How about people of different races or nationalities? Are we comparing age groups — make people under the age of 18 equal to people over 18? How about religious beliefs? Are we going to insist that every differing and contradictory religious belief be treated identically?