4.2.1 Political oxymorons

Course subject(s) Module 4. Creating a dilemma: convincing stakeholders

At the end of the clip, there are examples of politicians presenting themselves as someone who transcends a dilemma.

Someone who transcends a dilemma often creates an oxymoron. An oxymoron is a concept in which two opposing ideas are brought together. Examples:

  • ‘organised chaos’
  • ‘serious joke’
  • ‘leading from behind’

These are some examples of political oxymorons:

Who?
Oxymoron
George W Bush, US president Compassionate Conservative
Dmitry Rogozin, deputy prime minister of Russia Hawk of Peace
Bavaria, German state Laptop and Lederhose
David Cameron, UK prime minister Muscular liberalism
Rand Paul, US Senator Libertarian conservative
Your suggestion Your suggestion

Add some more! Name a politician from your country and give an oxymoron used by him/her or others to characterise him/her. Post your example below.

Also bear in mind that whether something is an oxymoron also depends on your political stance. Take the term ‘government intelligence’ – for many, it is simply a neutral term, but for someone who is strongly anti-government, it may be an oxymoron: government and intelligence are contradictory – governments cannot be intelligent.

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