Schlafling (verb) – Silently holding a reprehensible opinion, because you know that opinion makes you a garbage human and you don’t want anyone to know what a garbage human you are.
“I think my boss is voting for Trump, but he won’t admit it. He’s schlafling.”
Named in honor of the First Lady of Garbage Humans, Phyllis Schlafly. While Phyllis herself was never known to hold her reprehensible opinions silently, she did help to create a world where many people believe, think and vote for candidates who hold those same bigoted, xenophobic, racist views. She added legitimacy to racist and deeply sexist arguments that women belong at home, rather than the workplace, classroom, or wherever she pleases, and that minorities should sit quietly in awe and respect of the status quo. Without Phyllis’ hard work, women would have a constitutional right to equal protection and treatment under the law. Without Phyllis’ hard work, Donald Trump wouldn’t be a legitimate presidential candidate.
We don’t need a word for loudly holding a reprehensible opinion, that’s just being an asshole. We do need a word for a particularly noxious phenomenon, where 13.3 million Americans voted in the primaries for a man endorsed by David Duke, but the bulk of those people keep silent about it. When the KKK supports something, you can be reasonably assured that thing is reprehensible. But more Americans voted for a bigot running on a white nationalistic platform, than have voted in favor of any other Republican candidate in recent history. Most of those people are perfectly reasonable folks that you would meet in your every day life. They don’t let on they have a xenophobic, racist opinion. They don’t post “Make America Great Again” signs in their business windows or slap bumper stickers on their cars because they recognize that would invite criticism and disdain. They are keeping hush-hush about their racist viewpoints, because they know on some level what a failure they are of civilization.
They are schlafling.
