Words have power, they convey meaning, we use them to communicate, but progressives keep using the wrong words, we keep using words that empower the corporate enemies of democracy, we keep using words that distort meaning and communicate false realities.

We need to stop doing that.

Stop using words like “Congress” and “Elections” and “Democratic Party”. We don’t have a Congress, so why are so many progressives still saying we have one by using that word? We used to have a Congress, it was where representatives of the people used to pass laws that enabled the middle class to prosper so the whole country would prosper. That doesn’t happen any more, it doesn’t happen any more because we have no Congress. Calling that K Street whorehouse “Congress” confers legitimacy on a corrupted institution that has no legitimacy, it reinforces the illusion that representative democracy still exists in this country, it pushes us further down the road to that nightmare world George Orwell warned us about . . .

A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress toward more pain.

Progressive bloggers also need to stop talking about “elections”. We don’t have elections in this country any more, we have Deceit Contests. The liars with the most cash usually win and then rake in even more cash from that steady flow of K Street bribes those liars in what used to be Congress call campaign contributions. If you want to talk about the Midterm Deceit Contests, go right ahead, but call them what they are. Don’t reinforce the illusion that we have “elections“ by using that word, expose the illusion with accurate words, with words that expose the pervasive deceit entrenched at every level of this Orwellian political system, with words that communicate what’s actually happening.

Progressive bloggers also need to stop saying “Democratic Party“. There is no Democratic Party any more, so don’t call that clusterfuck of craven corporate whores the Democratic Party. If you do, you’re conferring integrity on people who have no integrity, you’re conveying respect for people who deserve no respect, you’re equating Steny Hoyer with Harry Truman, you’re equating Rahm Emanuel with Bobby Kennedy, you’re equating Ben Nelson with Paul Wellstone.

People will say we have to use commonly accepted political terminology such as “Congress” and “Elections” and “Democratic Party”. No we don’t. It’s self-defeating to use those terms, they’ve become Orwellian, there’s no truth in them, they don’t reflect reality, they perpetuate false realities.

Understand the implications of the words you use, be aware that you are constantly being manipulated, recognize that language itself is being used as a weapon against us, realize that every time you use commonly accepted political terminology you are adding another brick to that corporate prison wall that surrounds us all.

Be aware of your thoughts, for they become your words.
Be aware of your words, for they become your actions.
Be aware of your actions, for they become your habits.
Be aware of your habits, for they become your character.
Be aware of your character, for it becomes your destiny. — Anonymous

Don’t use their words, their words are lies. Don’t use their language, their language is a cage. We need to use our own words, words of empowerment, words of enlightenment, words of emancipation. If we do that, we can transform our thoughts and words into our destiny, we can free ourselves from this corporate hell, where heroes are traded for ghosts, where one generation after another is damned to endless exploitation, where there are no reprieves, where the truth is in solitary confinement, where capitalism is the executioner and the whole world is on death row.

(Cross-posted at Wild Wild Left)