Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb Alternative spelling of
Astroturf . - noun Alternative spelling of
AstroTurf .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Do you know where the term astroturf in relation to political protest comes from?
Lux Venit 2009
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There was one individual from the left who I strongly suspected was on the DNC payroll somehow - maybe not to specifically post on our board, but to spread political propaganda and engage in astroturf activities in general.
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And the Platonic form of astroturf is when Peoria Parents for a Brighter Future turns out to be three bachelors in a K Street office with some letterhead and a fat check from McDonalds or something.
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The astroturf is cut into the letters "I" and "T," which I thought was a direct comment on how the cultures of H1 visa holders gets hidden in the hi-tech culture they're immersed in, but the wall didactic doesn't say anything about "IT" so maybe I'm wrong.
APAture Live 2008
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Covered in astroturf and populated with dozens of city smog-resistant plants, it was larger than the entire apartment below it.
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Covered in astroturf and populated with dozens of city smog-resistant plants, it was larger than the entire apartment below it.
January 2007 2007
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: I had no idea that the late Lloyd Bentsen, a great politician, coined the phrase astroturf, but I commend him for having done so.
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: I had no idea that the late Lloyd Bentsen, a great politician, coined the phrase astroturf, but I commend him for having done so.
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: I had no idea that the late Lloyd Bentsen, a great politician, coined the phrase astroturf, but I commend him for having done so.
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The album, with the catchy title "Ronald Reagan speaks out against Socialized Medicine," was an early example of what is today called "astroturf" -- a fake grassroots effort bankrolled by a deep-pocket lobbying group.
Chris Weigant: Friday Talking Points [83] -- Dan Froomkin's Final WashingtonPost.com Column 2009
huntch commented on the word astroturf
A marketing and political dirty-trick which involves planting party members or employees in meetings or movements and having them pose as unaligned concerned citizens.
The product Astroturf is fake grass and astroturfing is faking a grass-roots response.
August 8, 2009
bilby commented on the word astroturf
There's a nuance to Astroturf that doesn't register with me. Consider this example:
"Between the 1960s and today, however, the mediaspace through which these causes disseminated ideas and gained momentum has changed. The best techniques for galvanizing a movement have long been co-opted and surpassed by public relations and advertising firms. Whether a movement is real or Astroturf has become almost impossible for even discerning viewers to figure out."
- Douglas Rushkoff, An End to Movements, arthurmag.com, 15 Aug 2009.
Then, in a comment response by a reader:
"These are just more reasons that corporate speech should always be regulated as commercial speech, whether it is in the form of campaign contributions, astroturf, or any other form of political spending on behalf of a for-profit entity."
- James Salsman.
And another, worked-up enough to try some verbing:
"The portrayal of the protests as the voice of the youth speaking out against an unjust war that they were being drafted into was effectively anti-war astroturfing in the same way that these 'ordinary Americans' anti-health care reform protesters. So here’s a question: what if they aren’t astroturfing? Does it matter? Not to me."
I don't quite get it. Up until 10 minutes ago I'd only heard this word in connection with artificial grass for sports fields.
September 27, 2009
plethora commented on the word astroturf
Quoth Wiki: Astroturfing is a word in English describing formal political, advertising, or public relations campaigns seeking to create the impression of being spontaneous "grassroots" behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass, AstroTurf.
September 27, 2009