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Weird, Wicked, and Wild · Nov 25, 2025 · 1 hr 47 min

Small Talk

Our final episode of the season tries to rescue language from the ravages of fascist Newspeak. While not invented by or used solely by fascists, Newspeak -- a term coined by George Orwell in his seminal novel, 1984 -- impoverishes vocabulary in order to limit complex and critical thought and reasoning. Newspeak may appear as historically insidious buzzwords and phrases, like “Living Space” and “Final Solution.” Newspeak may also appear harmless, such as in “Enhanced Interrogation,” or even good, like “Make America Great Again.” Pro-tip: when folks stop speaking in full sentences, watch out. We'll also sunset Season 1 and give you a heads up on our plans for Season 2.

0:00-1:47:54
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Our final episode of the season tries to rescue language from the ravages of fascist Newspeak. While not invented by or used solely by fascists, Newspeak -- a term coined by George Orwell in his seminal novel, 1984 -- impoverishes vocabulary in order to limit complex and critical thought and reasoning. Newspeak may appear as historically insidious buzzwords and phrases, like “Living Space” and “Final Solution.” Newspeak may also appear harmless, such as in “Enhanced Interrogation,” or even good, like “Make America Great Again.” Pro-tip: when folks stop speaking in full sentences, watch out.

We'll also sunset Season 1 and give you a heads up on our plans for Season 2.

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