16 min
Why We Should Use Authentically American Language The Aaron Renn Show
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- Society & Culture
Much of the language we use today can be divided into two categories: compliant and defiant. Compliant language - like DEI or ESG - signals agreement with the current elite consensus. Defiant signals some level of disagreement or rejection of that consensus.
Defiant language today often uses terms and imagery that are alien to American to American political and cultural tradition. "Nationalism," for example, does not appear to be a way that Americans have understood their relationship to their country. Catholic integralism and Continental philosophy and themes often seem bizarre to the average American.
These phrase, such as nationalism, can be perfectly appropriate to use in some contexts, but we should be evaluating the language we use to think about whether it is consonant with the cultural mainstream of our country.
As an example of an organization that did this well, consider the Claremont Institute's DC operation, which was called the "Center for the American Way of Life." The idea of the American way of life is one that resonates with the average man on the street.
Much of the language we use today can be divided into two categories: compliant and defiant. Compliant language - like DEI or ESG - signals agreement with the current elite consensus. Defiant signals some level of disagreement or rejection of that consensus.
Defiant language today often uses terms and imagery that are alien to American to American political and cultural tradition. "Nationalism," for example, does not appear to be a way that Americans have understood their relationship to their country. Catholic integralism and Continental philosophy and themes often seem bizarre to the average American.
These phrase, such as nationalism, can be perfectly appropriate to use in some contexts, but we should be evaluating the language we use to think about whether it is consonant with the cultural mainstream of our country.
As an example of an organization that did this well, consider the Claremont Institute's DC operation, which was called the "Center for the American Way of Life." The idea of the American way of life is one that resonates with the average man on the street.
16 min