the line from authoritarians is often predictably to proclaim their opponents "terrorists" and the like

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/weakness-strongmen-step...

Twenty-some years back, I attended a talk by a classicist who was talking about how the Romans, Caesar specifically I think, basically used "pirate" the same way.

I saw an exhibition on cannibalism that mentioned a similar thing such that being called a "cannibal" was used in a similar fashion.

Are there any famous examples? Like did John Adams ever call an opponent a cannibal?

[deleted]