ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors explore illegal drug usage issues in more detail, and examines the way language, in particular, is policed in the media and some of the linguistic tactics people use to resist censorship and to produce creative responses to media hegemony. A wealth of examples of relexicalization as a tactic for subverting censorship can be seen in online discourse in China, where internet content is tightly controlled and punishment for distributing prohibited content can be severe. By 'blacking out' their criticisms, the authors both invite readers to make inferences about the things the government is doing that they disagree with and parody the process of censorship itself. A more contemporary example of indirect expressions can be seen in the practice of sub-tweeting, in which users of Twitter design messages that are critical of other users or of public figures without mentioning their names or expressing their criticism directly.
