By Dou in Immigration —

The Infamous "But" or The But Reflex

A short reflection on how a tiny word reveals much larger patterns — about privilege, ideology, and the but.

I am pretty sure this is already a well-researched phenomenon, but I didn’t know what to type in the search bar, so I’ll just tell you my story.

The first time I reflected on when I and other people say "but" was during a talk about politics. For context, I’m (mostly) "white" and relatively privileged where I come from. He was part of a minority group that had been historically exploited and marginalized by the country’s elites and the major ethnic group.

I asked him if he felt that I was talking to him in a discriminatory, middle-class-like way (it seems I like to test or tease these kinds of things). He replied that he didn’t feel that way and said that I never said "but" when referring to that minority group.

Honestly, at first, I didn’t understand what he meant—I asked “how?”—which is a sign that I was surprised. Usually, I ask much more specific questions. He paused, then explained: right-wingers and nationalists always have a "but" after they say the name of that minority group.

Once I understood what he meant, it was an eye-opening experience. I was amazed that something as simple as the use of such a common conjunction in a specific context could reveal a pattern among right-wing or conservative speakers.

Since then, I’ve noticed this "but" appearing everywhere—in news debates, online arguments, and even in casual conversations.

After that, I started to pay more attention to the world around me, listening for the "but"—including my own.

And you know what? It seems that this famous “but” pattern is nearly universal, often used by right-wing and conservative voices who have issues with immigrants, cloaking their biases in phrases like “not all immigrants, but the ones who…”.

But maybe, as immigrants, we can use this “but” to sharpen our own tactics of survival. By recognizing how it signals exclusion or hidden judgment, we can respond not just defensively, but strategically—turning it into an opening for dialogue and for revealing assumptions. Instead of letting the “but” silence us or diminish our dignity, we can wield it as a subtle, discursive weapon in our ongoing resistance.

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