From the Latin language, the word “innuendo” is literally translated as “insinuating”, “penetration”. Insinuation is defamation slandering someone. Information in this case is submitted indirectly with a hint of some facts and circumstances. The main goal of this technique is to undermine the trust of listeners (readers) in their opponent, in his behavior, opinion or arguments.
In politics, insinuations are hints directed against persons with a certain power. Such statements in this case do not have clear moral and ethical justifications. This is necessary in order to avoid possible litigation and prosecution.
The meaning of the word "innuendo" and its origin
The term "innuendo" was first used by the Byzantine emperor, commander and reformer Justinian I, the most prominent monarch of the period of late antiquity. He called the judicial approval of gifts as insinuation if they exceeded the established amount to limit extravagance.
In rhetoric, insinuation is a speech revolution in a soft, insinuating and even obsequious form. It creeps into the consciousness of hostile listeners imperceptibly and is necessary to prevent possible conflicts. Tempting words, as a rule, only indirectly relate to the main topic of conversation, but the listener's brain falls into the trap set by the speaker, and he goes on to directly expose the main arguments. Such techniques help to win over the audience and achieve its complete disgust from the opponent.
Examples of insinuations
Insinuation is an utterance, the purpose of which is to instill in a person any thought made insinuatingly. This is a hint that is conveyed to the audience through special speech turns with hidden subtext, and which is to some extent a slander. In speech, insinuations are used to spoil the reputation and undermine the respect of the audience for the object in relation to which this technique is applied. Insinuations put a person in an unsightly light, accuse him of immoral acts.
Insinuation is knowingly false information that leads the listener to the obvious conclusion: the one they are talking about is guilty. Moreover, the information is confirmed by distorted facts. As a result, confidence in the mentioned object is sharply reduced, and it can be very difficult to return it.
Is it possible to hold accountable for insinuation
It is quite difficult to hold accountable for dirty insinuations, since the information is submitted not directly, but in a hidden form. If you can prove that your opponent slandered you intentionally, then perhaps you can attract him for defamation or giving false evidence. But in fact, it is almost impossible to do this, since the prosecutor can always justify himself by saying that you simply misunderstood his statements.
In political circles, the main method of combating insinuations is to provide interested parties with enough information about a politician in various forms (leaflets, articles, personal meetings, and so on).
