Nolan Finley: 45 words Democrats should never say?

Liberals are different from you and me They have more gobbledygook Their pretentious vocabulary is what s keeping progressives from connecting with everyday Americans according to a memo prepared by a left-leaning think tank and aimed at helping Democrats regain their common touch Titled Was it Something I Declared the memo comes from Third Way and lists words Democrats should never use in communicating with normies Normies apparently refers to everyone who is not a bat-scat left-wing lunatic Circulated exclusively to Politico the memo scolds Democrats and their allies for using an awful lot of words and phrases no ordinary person would ever dream of saying Like normies perhaps That the authors warn makes them sound like the extreme divisive elitist and obfuscatory enforcers of wokeness To please a minimal we have alienated the plenty of especially on society issues where our language sounds superior haughty and arrogant Ignoring the old adage If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it s a duck the memo contends largest part Democrats do not run on wildly out-of-touch social positions But voters would be excused to believe we do because of the words that come out of our mouths It goes on to list of those words by category that distract from the noble work Democrats could do if they would just talk more like the guys at the neighborhood bar rather than the pompous denizens of the faculty lounge Starting with Therapy-Speak the offenders privilege violence as in environmental violence dialoguing othering triggering microaggression assault invalidation progressive stack centering safe space holding space and body shaming These words the memo advises signal I m more empathetic than you and you are callous to others feelings Nyah Nyah Nyah Next is Seminar Room Language or in my definition words and phrases that have audience members looking for sticks to poke in their eyes They are subverting norms systems of oppression critical theory cultural appropriation postmodernism Overton Window heuristic and existential threat to atmosphere the planet democracy the business activity These words say I m smarter and more concerned about vital issues than you Now who s ever got that impression from a liberal At this point the memo pauses to explain When we use words people don t understand studies show that part of their brain that signals distrust becomes more advancing undermining our ability to reach them That s because their feet get the signal to run away as fast as they can Organizer Jargon is the next category Put in there racial transparency small d democracy blockades to participation stakeholders the unhoused food insecurity housing insecurity person who immigrated These say we are beholden to groups not individuals People have no agency No what Gender Orientation Correctness is the real mother when talking about how to talk to regular folk Words to avoid are birthing person inseminated person pregnant people chest-feeding cisgender deadnaming heteronormative patriarchy and LGBTQIA Let s move on to The Shifting Language of Racial Constructs grouping which if you mess up the memo warns will likely get you labeled a racist Fortunately it s short Latinx BIPOC allyship intersectionality and minoritized communities The memo states As we fight racism we should reflect on whether the words we are using are part of the reason Democrats are losing sponsorship from all non-White voter groups Sure that s the reason Ultimately in Explaining Away Crime it s vital not to say justice involved carceration incarcerated or involuntary confinement Apparently better to say lock them up and throw away the key if the goal as the memo contends is to connect with those who deserve to feel safe where they live work and go to school In conclusion the memo asks Democrats to Recognize that much of the language above is a red flag for a sizable segment of the American populace Memo to Third Way It s not the words that are the red flag It s the ideas they so accurately represent Nolan Finley writes for the Detroit News Related Articles David French It doesn t seem wise to let Trump decide what war is Eric Chastain The patrol that haunts me wasn t in Baghdad it was in Dupont Circle Noah Feldman The Harvard ruling was written just for Amy Coney Barrett Other voices Who knew baby buggies were such a threat David Brooks Why I am not a liberal