Large numbers of Americans want a strong, rough, anti-democratic leader

The Conversation ^ | 12/30/2023 | by Tarah Williams, Andrew Bloeser, and Brian Harward

[Alvin Diogenes]

I see what you’re saying but I think it would be a massive mistake to allow our enemies’ reactions to determine our terms of discourse. There has been far too much of that.

I agree that we should reject their 1984-style linguistic perversions: we shouldn’t call left-wing idiots “progressives” (they represent the opposite of progress), we shouldn’t use the term “gender-affirming” when what’s meant is gender-denying, etc.

But we also need to be clear in our communication and not promote, even inadvertently, anti-liberty policies via exaggeration or satire that is easily misinterpreted or even intentionally mischaracterized as straightforward support.