Democrats police their word police: Read the list
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Birthing person/inseminated person ... Latinx ... subverting norms ... housing insecurity ... a "justice-involved individual," formerly known as an inmate.
- A blunt memo from Third Way, a center-left think tank run by lifelong Democrats, implores opponents of President Trump to ditch jargon that's off-putting and even "deeply alienating" to many of the mainstream voters the party needs to win back.
Why it matters: Third Way warns Democrats to be wary "of words proliferating in elite circles that have closed off open conversations and have made it uncomfortable for many people to engage in hard topics."
"Whatever your intentions, when you refer to a pregnant woman as a 'birthing person' or a felon as a 'justice-involved individual,' you are not growing the tent, you're making it smaller. Matt Bennett, a Third Way co-founder, tells Axios.
- The memo — "Was It Something I Said?" — is addressed "To: All Who Wish to Stop Donald Trump and MAGA."
- "The aim," Bennett said, "is to help persuade public-facing allies — mostly elected officials and candidates, but also advocates — to use words their high school classmates use ... Just talk like a normal person, for chrissakes."
Between the lines: The memo acknowledges that "some will take issue with the inclusion of words or phrases we ask Democrats to avoid when talking to the public. And to reiterate, we have used some of these phrases in our own writings in the past."
- But Third Way says many of the words are "a red flag for a sizable segment of the American public. It is not because they are bigots, but because they fear cancellation, doxing, or trouble with HR if they make a mistake. Or they simply don't understand what these terms mean and become distrustful of those who use them. So instead, they keep quiet."
Here are excerpts from the list, which Third Way divides into six buckets:
1. Therapy-Speak, suggesting the speaker is "more empathetic than you, and you are callous to hurting others' feelings":
- Privilege
- Violence (as in "environmental violence")
- Dialoguing
- Othering
- Triggering
- Progressive stack
- Centering
- Holding space
2. Seminar Room Language, which suggests the speaker is "smarter and more concerned about important issues than you. Your kitchen table concerns are small":
- Subverting norms
- Systems of oppression
- Critical theory
- Cultural appropriation
- Postmodernism
- Overton Window
- Heuristic
3. Organizer Jargon, which makes it sound like the party is " beholden to groups, not individuals":
- Radical transparency
- Small "d" democracy
- Barriers to participation
- Stakeholders
- Food insecurity
- Housing insecurity
4. Gender/Orientation Correctness, suggesting to listeners that their "views on traditional genders and gender roles are at best quaint":
- Birthing person/inseminated person
- Pregnant people
- Chest feeding
- Heteronormative
- Patriarchy
5. The Shifting Language of Racial Constructs, signaling you could be "called out as racist if you do not use the latest and correct terminology":
- Latinx
- Intersectionality
- Minoritized communities
6. Explaining Away Crime, making it sound like the "criminal is the victim. The victim is an afterthought":
- Justice-involved
- Carceration
- Involuntary confinement
What's next: Bennett told us Third Way "will be pushing this out to anyone who will listen — on social media, podcasts, etc., and in briefings we do for our allies."
The bottom line: The memo says Democrats need "a bigger army" to triumph over Republicans, and communicating "in authentic ways that welcome rather than drive voters away is a good start."
- Go deeper: Read the memo.
