redbaiting
/ˈrɛdˌbeɪtɪŋ/
verb
- To accuse someone of being a communist or socialist, usually to harm their reputation or discredit their views.
- Teachers in the 1950s were often redbaited if they supported workers' rights.
- Some critics redbait any politician who proposes universal healthcare.
- The senator tried to redbait his colleague by linking her to a socialist group.
Synonyms
noun
- The act of accusing someone of being a communist or socialist, often to damage their reputation or silence them.
- During the Cold War, redbaiting was used to ruin the careers of many artists and activists.
- The politician's redbaiting of his opponent was criticized as a dishonest campaign tactic.
- Historians study redbaiting to understand how fear of communism shaped American society.