Democratic centrists are arguing again about what words the party’s representatives should use when speaking to voters.
Some Democrats say “oligarchs” instead of referring to rich people. Some say that people are “experiencing food insecurity” when they mean that they’re going hungry. Some use the word “equity” when others use “equality” or refer to “justice-involved populations” when speaking about prisoners.
Centrists argue that progressives often use language adopted by elite, highly educated people, which indicates that speakers view themselves as intelligent and virtuous while implying judgment on those who are more plainspoken. They argue that this isn’t the best way to win voters, according to The Washington Post.
“Some words are just too Ivy League-tested terms,” Democratic Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego told the paper. “I’m going to piss some people off by saying this, but ‘social equity’ — why do we say that? Why don’t we say, ‘We want you to have an even chance’?”
Similarly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear noted: “I believe that, over time, and probably for well-meaning reasons, Democrats have begun to speak like professors and started using advocacy-speak that was meant to reduce stigma, but also removed the meaning and emotion behind words.”
He pointed to the use of “substance abuse disorder” to refer to addiction.
“It makes Democrats or candidates using this speech sound like they’re not normal,” he said. “It sounds simple, but what the Democratic Party needs to do is be normal and sound normal.”
Some Democrats and progressives push back, saying that such language is more often used by activists than Democratic politicians. They also argue that using nonprejudicial language is a good thing, as is looking for new ways to be sensitive to those who have been targets of discrimination.
The executive vice president of the progressive communications firm Fenton Communications, Daria Hall, told the paper that “We are simply asking people to consider the language they are using as we move toward shared goals.”
It’s “important to acknowledge the human element within populations and to recognize how they identify themselves. Language evolves; it always has,” she added.
Allison Prasch teaches rhetoric, politics, and culture at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
She told The Post that “Democrats trip over themselves in an attempt to say exactly the right thing.”
“Republicans maybe aren’t so concerned about saying exactly the right thing, so it may appear more authentic to some voters,” she argued.
“Republicans have a willingness to paint with very broad brushstrokes, where Democrats are more concerned with articulating multiple perspectives,” Prasch added. “And, because of that, they can be hampered by the words and phrases they utilize.”
Gallego told the paper that “not every person we meet is going to have the latest update on what the proper terms are.”
“It doesn’t make them sexist or homophobic or racist. Maybe they are a little outdated, but they have a good heart,” he added.
Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders told a crowd in Nampa, Idaho, on April 14 that “We have a nation which is now run by a handful of greedy billionaires.”
“I used to talk about oligarchy, and people say, ‘What is he talking about?’ Everybody knows what I’m talking about tonight,” he added.
Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin subsequently told Politico that the word “oligarchy” doesn’t mean much to most Americans.
But Sanders hit back during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, saying, “I think the American people are not quite as dumb as Ms. Slotkin thinks they are.”
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