The ‘woke’ language Democrats have been told to stop using
David Millward
Mon, August 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM CDT 7 min read
Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s former Democrat mayor who is widely reported to be considering a 2028 presidential run, acknowledged his party’s problem with messaging in June.
“Why do Democrats have a problem?” he asked The Bulwark podcast host, Tim Miller. “Because we’re punks, and we not only talk like punks, we talk down to people. We get caught up in a set of issues that aren’t relevant.”
The memo concluded: “When we use words people don’t understand, studies show that the part of their brain that signals distrust becomes more active, undermining our ability to reach them.”
“We will never abandon our values or stop doing things to protect those who need help, encouragement, trust, a second chance, acceptance, a fair shake, and the opportunity to pursue life, liberty and happiness.
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- Therapy speak
- Seminar room language
- Organiser jargon
- Gender and orientation correctness
- Racial constructs
- Explaining away crime
The memo is from a center-left think tank called The Third Way. The original article is here.Therapy speak
According to the memo: “These words say: ‘I’m more empathetic than you, and you are callous to hurting others’ feelings’.”
Privilege: Advantages experienced based on race, gender, or social identity
Violence (environmental): Harm caused by pollution and climate change, often marginalised communities
Dialoguing: Reaching mutual understanding through open conversation
Othering: Treating people with different characteristics unkindly or pushing them out of the group
Triggering: Causing emotional distress by recalling past trauma or harm
Microaggression/assault/invalidation: Small, sometimes unintentional, acts that undermine or offend marginalised groups
Progressive stack: Projecting the voices of those who face the most adversity above others
Centring: Making a viewpoint or group the focus of discussion
Safe space: An environment free of judgment and discrimination
Holding space: Offering silent support without judgment or interruption
Body shaming: Shaming someone for how their body looks
Seminar room language
Using this language suggests “I’m smarter and more concerned about important issues than you. Your kitchen table concerns are small,” according to the memo.
Subverting norms: Promoting equality by challenging tradition
Systems of oppression: Societal and institutional structures that further discriminate of marginalised groups
Critical theory: The analysis of the intersection of power, inequality, and social justice
Cultural appropriation: Adopting or using aspects of another culture without respect or understanding
Postmodernism: Questioning the status quo and amplifying perspectives of those not usually heard
Overton Window: Range of political ideas considered acceptable to discuss
Heuristic: Assumptions made by voters
Existential threat: Immediate danger to humanity
Organiser jargon
According to the memo, using language such as this says: “We are beholden to groups, not individuals. People have no agency.”
Radical transparency: Unbounded openness with the public
Small ‘d’ democracy: Democratic principles that are not a result of party politics
Barriers to participation: Obstacles stopping people from taking part in all aspects of civic life
Stakeholders: The core group of people affected by policy decisions
The unhoused: Homeless people
Food insecurity: Unreliable access to food
Housing insecurity: Unreliable access to shelter and safe living conditions
Person who immigrated: Immigrant, migrant
Gender and orientation correctness
Using ultra-politically correct terms like these project an air of “your views on traditional genders and gender roles are at best quaint,” the memo says.
Birthing person/inseminated person: “Gender neutral” term for a woman who is in, or will be in, labour
Pregnant people: “Gender neutral” term for a pregnant woman
Chest feeding: Breastfeeding
Cisgender: A person who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth
Deadnaming: Using a transgender person’s given name
Heteronormative: The assumption that everyone is straight
Patriarchy: A system built to benefit men
LGBTQIA+: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and any other sexuality
The shifting language of racial constructs
Using this language gives the people the impression they will “be called out as racist if [they] do not use the latest and correct terminology,” the memo states.
Latinx: A term used for someone with Latin American heritage that negates the need for the gendered “a” or “o” at the end of the word, indicating a male or female
BIPOC: An acronym for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour
Allyship: Supporting a marginalised group without being a part of that group
Intersectionality: Overlapping characteristics that can intensify discrimination
Minoritised communities: Groups on the fringe of society owing to discrimination
Explaining away crime
Using this language implies “the criminal is the victim,” according to the memo.
Justice-involved: Those who have interacted with the justice system
Carceration: Detaining people
Incarcerated people: People in prison
Involuntary confinement: Being detained without consent
https://www.thirdway.org/memo/was-it-something-i-said
MEMO Published August 22, 2025 6 minute read
Was It Something I Said?
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