jargon

TOTW: policing language or challenging ruts?

The point of changing words, or limiting the words we use, is to change behavior. I avoid saying "interesting," as I rely on it too much. I also discourage people from saying they’re sorry, which is so frequently a platitude, or a way of getting out of a situation, or empty in a variety of other ways. I have sometimes suggested in the past, with people who know of and are indulgent with my foibles, that when they’re tempted to say “sorry” they instead say “fuck you”, which has had some funny repercussions, and is not something I recommend for the neophyte.

ToTW: Beyond Left and Right

The Right and The Left are no more nuanced than any of the other identity terms that many anarchists recognize as superficial and massifying. That said, models for groups of people can be helpful, so what are better models to use? Obviously anarchists are familiar with color-coding (red, green, etc). What if that were made more interesting? Shading? Hues? Polka dots? What would your creative and generous model be for how to understand and talk about differences and similarities?

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