If We Liberals Are So Danged Smart, Why Don’t We “Get” How Politics and Language Work?

“Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
— George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

One of the most frustrating things about being a liberal is watching right-wingers slowly-but-surely snatch back our hard-won victories over the past three decades. Why do right-wing extremists keep winning when their agenda’s so toxic and flat-out unappealing? Alas, we liberals just don’t get the dynamics of politics and language the way folks on the Right do.

While we’re busy speaking truth to power, the Right is seizing it. They’ve not only taken over and reframed the big conversations, but they’ve also set the terms of the public debate by choosing the words we use. Or they’ve taken terms we once coined and twisted them beyond recognition.

If we on the Left want to start winning again, we need to study how conservatives have mastered politics and language. And then, we need to start beating them at their own game. This means taking a long, hard look at common phrases make our “liberal agenda” of fairness, equality, peace, transparent government, and shared prosperity look bad.

It’s one thing to lose because conservatives’ ideas are better than liberals’ ideas. It’s another thing to lose because our ideas aren’t getting a fair hearing. As George Lakoff explains in his books and other writings: If we want the American people to embrace our causes, then we need to frame issues in words that resonate.

Politics and Language: 21 Phrases We Need to Change or Take Back.

Conservatives have mastered the art of politics and language to put liberal causes in a bad light. If we want to set the agenda, we need to use our words. [NOTE: I first wrote this post in 2015, and I frequently update it].

(1) “Right to Work” => “Right to Work for Less”

As Martin Luther King once aptly stated, this bogus phrase has nothing to do with workers’ rights. “It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights […] Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone.”

These laws undermine workers’ civil rights by allowing individuals to override their coworkers’ majority vote for union representation and opt out of paying dues. Not paying U.S. workers a living wage is immoral and a form of slavery. A far more accurate term is “Right to Work for Less.”

(2) “Entitlements” => “Earned Benefits”

How do right-wingers manage to make “entitlements” sound like something we’re not entitled to? Actually, we are entitled to our Social Security and Medicare, because we all pay into them. That’s why we should call them “Earned Benefits” instead. This gives us the moral high ground as we fight the GOP’s attempts to loot our retirement accounts and hand them over to Wall Street.

(3) “Christian” => “So-Called Christian”

Conservatives call themselves “Christians” and use our First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion to justify all kinds of assaults on other people’s rights and freedoms. And when we push back, they screech that we’re discriminating against them. What right-wing “Christians” do has nothing to do with the message of peace, love, tolerance and social justice taught by Jesus Christ. Instead, let’s refer to them as “So-Called Christians,” or at least always put the word “Christian” in sarcastic quotation marks.

And while we’re on the topic of right-wing, so-called “Christians”… Have you noticed how they co-opt the language of the Left? And how they cry victim and claim we “discriminate” against them? Never in the history of our country have white Christians experienced racism and genocide. Nor do these “Christians” get bullied harassed and driven to suicide like LGBTQ people do. So, please… Being tolerant does not mean we have to tolerate their intolerance.

(4) “Family Values” => “Real Family Values”

You’ve probably noticed how right-wingers yammer on about “family values.” But, of course, they’re not actually talking about policies that support families. It’s just code for their kind of family. Meaning a family that’s ruled by a strict, authoritarian father who represents their strict, authoritarian version of God.

Let’s follow Bernie Sanders‘ lead and take this term back for ourselves. Let’s start pushing for a “Real Family Values“ agenda that helps working families.

(5) “Corporations” => “Unelected Government”

Since most Americans see themselves as pro-business, calling the monolithic entities that rule the world “corporations,” “corporate America,” “multinationals” or even “Wall Street” doesn’t get the point across. The word we’re looking for is “Unelected Government.” Only that properly and accurately conveys their vast influence and the power they wield over many aspects of our daily lives.

(6) “Free Markets”  => “Socialized Risk, Privatized Profits”

Like “Fascism” and “Communism,” “Free Market Capitalism” is a 20th-century utopian ideal that has failed badly. Most of us Americans idealize “Free Markets.” But we don’t realize our current system of stealing from the poor and giving to the rich is not “Free Market Capitalism.” Yet, a true free market system would have a large and powerful group to stand up for workers’ interests. Unions and government agencies do a great job of protecting workers. Yet the GOP wants to do away with both.

Instead, we should refer to our current system as “Socialized Risk, Privatized Profits.” [NOTE: readers have also suggested using the words “Market Failure” and “Rigged Markets” to explain the dire consequences of Reaganomics.]

(7) “Government Spending” => “Investing in America”

The GOP talks about “government spending” like it’s a bad thing. They believe the private sector does everything better the public sector can. Some even say we should run our government like we run a business. But guess what? Our government is a lot better at tasks that serve the public interest. In fact, communities across the U.S. benefit from this “government spending.” Especially in those “small-government” red states that get way more in federal funds than they pay in through taxes. As John T. Harvey, an economist, so aptly explains in Forbes:

“The problem in a nutshell, is that not everything that is profitable is of social value and not everything of social value is profitable.”

The public sector does all kinds of things that don’t make a profit and that we need and take for granted. When you drive on roads, visit the library, or relax at the park, that’s your government at work. So, instead of right-whinging about “government spending,” let’s talk about “Investing in America.” Because that’s what our local, state and federal tax dollars do.

(8). “Accountability” => “Shared Accountability”

When Republicans first started demanding we hold people “accountable” back in the 1980’s it seemed to make sense. Even so-called liberals like President Bill Clinton got on the bandwagon when he declared “mend it, don’t end it” before signing “welfare reform” into law.

But now it’s gotten out of hand. We punish hungry children when their parents can’t get jobs that don’t exist. We punish teachers whose students can’t pass standardized tests… Even though our country’s low performance has more to do with child poverty than with teachers.

Yet corporations get to destroy jobs, lives, natural resources, and entire communities with zero consequences. We need to start demanding a new “Shared Accountability” that applies to all of us.

(9) “Gay Marriage/Same Sex Marriage” => “Marriage Equality”

While these phrases are accurate from a technical standpoint, guess what? They play into the conservative notion that marriage between two men or two women is somehow different and inferior. We don’t want to reinforce the notion that a “real” marriage is only between “a man and a woman.” That’s why we started winning more hearts and minds when we began talking about “Marriage Equality.”

[NOTE: The term “Marriage Equality” has grown a lot more common than when I first wrote this back in 2015.]

(10) “Gun Control” => “Gun Safety”

In 2018, nearly 5,000 people died from gun violence and 9,333 were injured. This includes 204 children and 915 teens. As of May 9, 2019, we’ve already had eight school shootings. So why can’t we do anything about it? It’s partly because talking about “gun control” makes us sound like we want to take away everyone’s guns.

“Gun Safety” (or “Gun Sense,” as Moms Demand Action calls it) sounds a lot more reasonable. Plus, it’s the truth. After all, we liberals are Americans and many of us love our guns, too. We just believe that rights come with responsibilities. We also believe we can protect our children with the kind of common sense gun safety laws.

We have to register and get insurance for our cars when we buy them. We also need to get a license in order to drive them. Why can’t we require the same from gun owners?

(11) “Homophobic” => “Anti-Gay”

The suffix “phobic” means “afraid.” Yet people who oppose equal rights LGBTQ people are not “afraid.” They’re mean bigots who attempt to inflict harm on people who don’t conform to their narrow ideas about gender. The word “homophobic” makes it sound like these hateful bullies have some kind of medical condition.

But there’s nothing in the DSM V that forces them to torment or kill people. And there’s no other so-called “phobia” that gets used to justify depriving people of their civil rights.

Please, let’s call these people “Anti-Gay” or “Anti-LGBTQ” instead.

(12) “Illegal Aliens” => “Undocumented Residents”

It’s easy to support harsh laws against people by distancing ourselves from them and calling them “illegal aliens.”  It’s much harder to act against our neighbors, friends, the families of our children’s classmates, and the people who run our favorite restaurants and other local businesses. The term “illegal aliens” denies the people exploited by our economy and driven here by our destructive foreign policy their humanity. We need to refer to them as “undocumented workers/residents.”

[NOTE: Once again, the term “undocumented” wasn’t as commonly used when I first wrote this as it is now.]

(13) “Pro-Life” => “Anti-Choice”

Ugh. These people are NOT “Pro-Life.” Once a child takes its first breath, these right-wing “pro-lifers” couldn’t care less about the quality of life for the child or mother. Let’s tell it like it is and call them “Anti-Choice.” Some have also suggested “Pro-Fetus.” Or “Pro-Forced Birth.” Because these people have no respect for “life.” They just seek to deny sexual freedom, healthcare, and family planning services to women by using pregnancy as a “punishment” for non-procreative sex.

(14) “The Environment” => “Pristine Air/Water/Nature”

When we talk about “the environment,” we often sound strident, self-righteous and privileged. Especially when our earth-friendly choices cost more than many struggling families can afford. This is anger- or guilt-inducing and counter-productive. Just ask someone who has to spend this week’s grocery money on getting their car smogged.

Also, we have to take the conservative mindset into account. They don’t think about protecting or saving “the environment.” Instead, they see nature as something God gave us to exploit when He “gave” us “dominion” over the earth. However, as George Lakoff aptly points out, right-wingers do care a lot about purity. This explains a lot about why the GOP-run Senate passed a sweeping public lands bill in February 2019. The bill expands national parks and protects over 1.3 million acres of land.

As it turns out, conservatives enjoy spending time in nature, too. And people on both sides of the aisle like to hunt, fish, camp, and hike. We’ll get farther by framing environmental issues as defending the purity of our pristine lands, air, and water.

Instead, we need to talk about “Pristine Nature,” “Clean Air,” “Clean Water.” and the “Sanctity” of our Earth.

A Green New Deal

The Left has also been pushing a Green New Deal to fight climate change. This is a smart move. We currently push the idea that we can save our planet through our personal life choices. This includes everything from recycling, going vegan, using cloth diapers instead of disposable ones, and buying hybrid or electric cars. The problem is, a lot of people can’t afford these choices. On top of that, when we require people to smog their cars or upgrade their septic systems, we create real hardship.

It’s time we began shifting responsibility for saving our planet where it belongs… With our government and the companies that produce the pollutants. We can’t expect people to protect our natural resources while letting big corporations get away with doing nothing.

Furthermore, we’ve let Big Energy pit the value of our natural resources against people’s desperation to stay employed. After all, people don’t love mountain top removal, black lung disease, and oil spills. What they love is having jobs and being able to support their families. Throughout the 20th century, we spent big on fossil fuels, and the industries and public infrastructure that goes with them. Now, we need to do this weith clean energy.

(15)  “Welfare” =>> “Working Families”

When conservatives talk about “welfare,” they make it sound like this pit that lazy, undeserving people wallow in forever, rather than a source of help we all pay for and that’s there when we need it. Our founding fathers would agree, that’s why they put promoting “the general welfare” in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution these right-wingers profess to love so much. Alas, the GOP has given “welfare” a bad name. Instead let’s call it our “Social Safety Net” or “Support for Working Families.”

(16) “Education Reform” =>> “Attack on Public Education”

“Education reform” sounds like a noble cause. But guess what? As many teachers, parents, and students know… Pushing corporate charter schools and useless standardized tests is not “Education Reform.” It’s a wholesale, multi-pronged “Attack on Public Education” that has turned our nation’s schools into corporate compliance factories.

We may never be able to get many conservatives onboard with public education. After all, so much of what we love about public schools goes against their core beliefs. But still: 90 percent of America’s children attend public schools. Also, three out of four parents want their schools safe, welcoming, and well-funded.

This means we can’t let the GOP and neoliberal Democrats get away with using the words, “education reform.”

(17) “The Homeless” => “Un-Housed”

The term, “homeless,” makes it easy for us to dismiss our fellow human beings as faceless losers or crazy drug addicts… Even though “homeless” people come from all walks of life. The term “Un-housed” far better describes the state of people we now call “the homeless,” and is also more constructive. Because once we decide that housing is a basic human right and that we need to ensure that all our neighbors have a place to live, “the homeless problem” is amazingly easy to solve.

(18) “States Rights” => “Freedom to Screw Over Your Neighbors”

Have you ever noticed that whenever politicians or pundits go on about “States’ Rights,” they’re defending their state’s “right” to deprive people of something? Whether it’s about not freeing slaves, not providing health coverage through Medicaid, not recognizing marriage equality, not prosecuting hate crimes, not banning racial and religious discrimination, not providing women with access to healthcare and family planning services, or not paying workers a living minimum wage, “States’ Rights” always seem to serve as a bulwark against progress.

Let’s just call it “Freedom to Screw Over Your Neighbors,” and have done with it.

(19). “Regulations”  => “Protections”

“Rules” and “regulations” sound so burdensome, The fact is, they’re “Protections.” Because we need our local, state, and federal governments to protect our citizens, wildlife, and shared natural resources from abuse by large and powerful corporations. We also need unions, but — as the past few decades of union-busting and anti-labor policies have shown — unions need protection from the government, too.

(20). “Healthcare Reform” => “Death Panels”

When liberals talk about “Healthcare Reform,” we recognize that we need to make Obamacare more accessible, affordable, and more effective. When the GOP talks about “healthcare reform,” they want to make it less accessible, less affordable, and less effective.

So next time you hear a Republican talk about “repairing” or “replacing” the Affordable Care Act, call it: “Letting Us Get Sick and Die” or “Death Panels.” Of course, Sarah Palin coined that term. Although I like turning the tables, I’d like to find something better.

(21) “Tax Reform” => “Tax Scam”

On his way out, Paul Ryan pushed through the GOP’s “tax reform” package like a big middle finger to U.S. taxpayers. Let’s call it what it truly is: A “Tax Scam” or “More Tax Cuts for the Rich.”

(22) “President Donald Trump” => “The GOP’s President”

Donald Trump did not win the election. He lost the popular vote by 2.8 million. He and his “unified Republican government” were forced upon an unwilling nation by a corrupt and partisan Electoral College. Funny, how throughout our nation’s history, the Electoral College only went against the popular vote twice…Until 2000. Then George Bush got handed the White House despite losing to Al Gore by 540,000 votes, thanks to the fact that his brother was Governor of Florida and two U.S. Supreme Court justices were appointed by his father. Instead, call him “The GOP’s President,” “Popular Vote-Losing President,” “Not My President,” or “Mein Trumpf.”

Featured image: cc 2011 Pedro Ribeiro Simões (with filters applied).