‘Dog whistles’ are not real

Anyone who assumes that their opponents are speaking in code is just squabbling with phantoms.

The accusation of ‘dog whistling’ is one of the most common of activist tactics. The metaphor suggests that someone is disguising their objectionable views by sending signals that only the likeminded will register, much as human beings remain oblivious to the higher sound frequencies that dogs are able to hear. As an argumentative strategy, it must rank…