A new memo from the center-left think tank Third Way is urging Democrats to eliminate 45 so-called “woke” words and phrases from their political language, arguing that such terminology alienates average voters and damages the party’s chances of regaining power, according to a report by news portal Politico. The memo – titled “Was It Something I Said?” – shared with the portal warns that Democrats “sound like the extreme, divisive, elitist, and obfuscatory, enforcers of wokeness” when using these terms, which include “privilege,” “cisgender,” “microaggression,” “cultural appropriation,” and “birthing person.”The list is divided into six categories, including “therapy speak” and phrases used when “explaining away crime.” The memo contends that such language builds “a wall between us and everyday people of all races, religions, and ethnicities.”“We are doing our best to get Democrats to talk like normal people and stop talking like they’re leading a seminar at Antioch,” said Matt Bennett, Third Way’s executive vice president of public affairs. “We think language is one of the central problems we face with normie voters,” as quoted by Politico.Third Way’s senior vice president Lanae Erickson added, “the Democratic party brand is toxic across the country at this point with way too many people – enough that there’s no way for us to win a governing majority without changing that.”While the memo does not offer polling data or alternatives for the 45 phrases, it stresses that the aim is not censorship but clarity. “The language we use must invite, not repel; start a conversation, not end it; provide clarity, not confusion,” the memo states.Erickson pointed to figures like Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Senator Ruben Gallego, and former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg as examples of effective messaging. “Gallego is doing a great job talking about economic success. He goes into communities and he’s like, ‘I want you to have a big ass truck, if that’s what you want,’” she said.The memo comes amid ongoing criticism, including from Republicans. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News this week: “The autopsy for the Democrats, some free political advice from the president of the United States is: stop sounding like crazy people.”While Third Way acknowledges broader challenges for the party – including policy clarity and voter registration gaps – the memo positions language as a key starting point in reaching a wider base.
Among the blacklisted terms are:
Privilege, violence (as in “environmental violence”), dialoguing, triggering, othering, microaggression, holding space, body shaming, subverting norms, systems of oppression, cultural appropriation, Overton window, existential threat to [the climate, democracy, economy], radical transparency, stakeholders, the unhoused, food insecurity, housing insecurity, person who immigrated, birthing person, cisgender, deadnaming, heteronormative, patriarchy, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, allyship, incarcerated people, involuntary confinement.
