Politicized Language: As Clear As Mud

America has always been known as a melting pot of cultures, languages, and people. English has evolved from the 1700s to include slang, updated definitions, and new words from the many inventions created over time. Language and definitions, when used correctly, have been essential in shaping opinions, public policy, and strengthening communities. But with apps like TikTok and Twitter rapidly sharing information, and with public officials focused more on growing their online image rather than creating policy solutions, one major reason the country has become hyper partisan is because language is currently used to divide people, rather than unite them. 

Language has and should evolve to reflect changes in society—people no longer write the way our Founding Fathers did, nor do they speak that way. Certain words have been deemed offensive that might have been commonplace 100 years ago. However, the most essential tool of language is to provide clarity in communication. We all understand when someone says there will be rain today or that the pink dress is smaller than the blue one- there is no confusion in these terms and while someone can argue that it will not rain today or that the blue dress is larger than the pink one, everyone has a basic understanding of what those terms mean. 

In the age of technology where anyone can access a dictionary or a translator at the touch of a button and we could have more clear communication, instead social media and technology have been used to confuse people and weaken social ties. No longer is there a universal understanding of what a man and a woman are—some can give you a definition that includes immutable, biological characteristics, while others struggle to define it. “Trans women are women” they say, but when asked to define a woman, they can’t. Even when there is a clear choice to say women, progressives will say “menstruators”, “people with the capacity for pregnancy”, or “bleeders”.

Prior to the internet, if a word’s definition evolved it was a slow process to update dictionaries and other reference items. Today it can be changed at the press of a button— Merriam-Webster updated the definition of sexual preference during the hearings to confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett. CNN described the fiery aftermath of the Jacob Blake shooting in 2020 as “fiery but mostly peaceful” as a fire raged in the background—this was after the several months of “mostly peaceful” protests occurred in cities across the nation. 

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, definitions in political discourse today are so coded that unless you follow politics closely or have a strong online presence, it’s easy to miss these changing definitions. Hospitals are using the term “gender affirming surgery“ to describe multiple medical procedures for children interested in medically transitioning. These procedures include vaginoplasties and mastectomies, and rather than describe the harm and seriousness of these procedures, on a linguistic level trans rights advocates equate this to using a child’s preferred pronouns. Florida’s bill that banned K-3 public school teachers from teaching lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity was infamously called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, even though the word “gay” never appeared in it and the bill puts parents in the driver’s seat for introducing sexual topics to their children.

Whether it’s the Democrats or the Republicans, Congressional bills are filled with extra policy solutions that are not at all concerned with the bill’s name. The recent Inflation Reduction Act contains sections on climate change and provisions for West Virginia, and the Congressional Budget Office predicts that the bill won’t actually reduce inflation. For all the Republicans who didn’t vote in support of the bill, but most likely care about reducing inflation and improving economic conditions for the average American, Democrats can paint them as neglecting to fix America’s inflation problem.  

Words are powerful, and clarity is vitally important in improving the hyper partisanship we have in the United States because only then can we move forward on providing policy solutions. Groups can argue all they want over the best course of action to fix a situation, but if they can’t agree on the definitions of terms from the beginning, how can there be any expectation that they’ll find a solution? If experts want to debate what the real definition of inflation or a recession is, let them have their academic debates—but to change the definition of words because of public pressure, and at the rapid click of a button, is doing nothing to unite the country. Public officials and activists should think about both the immediate and long term ramifications of changing definitions so quickly. Everyone wants to have a stronger, unified country and a more efficient government— let’s start with being more clear in our definitions.