Jennifer Saul and Ray Drainville: Can't Unsee: Perspectival Dogwhistles and Deniability

Given the current state of the world it is not surprising that we have seen increasing academic attention to manipulative political speech, particularly that which promotes hatred and misinformation. One key mechanism that has seen a great deal of attention is the use of linguistic dogwhistles. In previous work, we expanded this discussion to include an exploration of visual dogwhistles. In this paper, we aim to build on this by exploring previously undiscussed forms of communication—in particular, AI-generated imagery using double-image effects, and subliminal messages. We also examine related phenomena such as “Satanic” backwards messages in music, subliminal advertising, and some manipulative safety vests for horse riding. Whilst these examples have all or nearly all of the features that have been posited as necessary for dogwhistles, a close examination reveals that they lack one that has commonly been thought to follow from these: plausible deniability, sometimes known simply as ‘deniability.’ They also share another key feature with each other: the understanding of their hidden messages turns not on background beliefs, interests or practices, but rather on how they are perceived. They are a matter, quite literally, of perspective—in the sensory meaning of the term. Hence, we call these perspectival dogwhistles.