Fascism and the English language
The words we use matter. So let's say what's actually happening.
“A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?”
—George Orwell, Politics and the English Language
As the MAGA regime’s ongoing assault on our lives and our loved ones ramps up, many of us feel tongue-tied - at a loss for the words to express what is happening, let alone marshal resistance to it. But, as Orwell said, “if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought,” and so we must speak plainly, hewing not to where we think people “are” but ensuring they understand what is true. Our freedoms are on the line: Our freedoms to come home safely to our loved ones and to say what we believe, to join together in union and to decide what we do with our bodies. We must choose words that make clear to our audiences exactly what is at stake, exposing the motivations of the MAGA regime and generating the will to be in continuous opposition to it.
Anat Shenker-Osorio, host of the podcast and Substack Words to Win By, is a messaging researcher and campaign advisor. @anatosaurus
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