afghanistanism

afghanistanism means the practice of concentrating on problems in distant parts of the world while ignoring controversial local issues. It carries an Arena rating of 1446, earned across 47 head-to-head judged battles.

Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, afghanistanism ranks #218 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,594 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #2,096 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #3,211 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.

Why “afghanistanism” is a great word

AFGHANISTANISM — [Noun] The journalistic practice of focusing intently on distant problems to avoid addressing controversial or uncomfortable local issues. Coined in 1948 by Jenkin Lloyd Jones, editor of the Tulsa Tribune, from Afghanistan (the distant country) + -ism (forming nouns of practice or doctrine). Unlike parochialism, which shrinks the world to the town square, or sensationalism, which wallows in lurid local scandal, Afghanistanism is a strategic, deliberate deflection of the civic gaze. It is the editorial thundering about a coup six thousand miles away while the city council guts the parks budget; the breathless feature on melting glaciers that never mentions the poisoned river downstream; the meticulous analysis of a foreign border dispute to avoid naming the corrupt sheriff. It is the professional management of outrage, directing the public gaze to any horizon but the one where responsibility lies.

Etymology

From Afghanistan + -ism. The first recorded use is by Jenkin Lloyd Jones, editor of the Tulsa Tribune, in 1948; see quotation below.

noun

The practice of concentrating on problems in distant parts of the world while ignoring controversial local issues.e.g.“I don't wish to belabor this subject of Afghanistanism, this business of taking forthright stands on elections in Costa Rica, while the uncollected local garbage reeks beneath the editor's window.” — 1948, Jenkin Lloyd Jones, “Editorial Page Panel”, in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, American Society of Newspaper Editors, page 73:

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

afghanization 53% match — The gradual process of returning control of Afghanistan to the people of that country. vs afghanistanism →
elsewhereism 50% match — The act or process of thinking about something other than one's immediate surroundings. vs afghanistanism →
foreignism 49% match — A tendency to favor what is foreign. vs afghanistanism →
afghanistani 48% match — Any inhabitant of Afghanistan, whether of Afghan ethnicity or not. vs afghanistanism →
afghanize 48% match — To make Afghan; to cause to have an Afghani character. vs afghanistanism →
hyperlocalism 47% match — news coverage of very local events, especially to the exclusion of more important world events vs afghanistanism →
balkanocentrism 46% match — The practice of viewing the world from a Balkans perspective, with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the preeminence of Balkans culture. vs afghanistanism →
occidentalism 46% match — The habits and attitudes of westerners. vs afghanistanism →