Found in Naomi Klein's Doppelganger. The one lesson I wish the modern left would internalize more than anything.

Use shared language.

Don't use lefty jargon when the person you're talking to doesn't subscribe to these ideas. No white privilege, no colonial oppression, no intersectionality. Translate to a shared language, built on reasonable, common assumptions and do the work required to bring people on board.

Because you can be damned sure the MAGA crowd are doing the work.

This is not just about the alienating effect of jargon (like you normally get in science communication). It's also about sneaking unshared assumptions into the conversation.

You can be talking about Gaza to somebody who is absolutely hoffirifed by Israel's actions, but if you frame the whole thing as colonial oppression you can still lose them.

They will detach from the conversation because they don't share that particular perspective and you didn't make room to discuss that assumption.

@pbloem

I think people should frame what's happening in Gaza as a fascist and racist genocide, and no less

@pbloem this is lovely. does she also write about how the left is so judgy/self-righteous and how that is where the lingo comes from? an objectification of the other.

@anandphilipc Pretty much. She mostly criticizes the hypocrisy of preaching inclusiveness and then attacking the in-group for every tiny misstep.

Moreover, she makes the case that this directly drove people into the arms of people like Steve Bannon, who would blow up any hypocrisy they could find in the left and work hard to welcome everybody into their movement.

@pbloem lovely.
@anandphilipc @pbloem there are, unfortunately, a whole lot of people out there who would rather lecture you on the theoretical basis for why you’re wrong than try to persuade you why they’re right
@mark_f_lynch that's us brother. we are the left. this is a problem our culture has. im a judgy mcjudgepants and its irritating as hell.
@pbloem Naomi Klein en Astra Taylor wijzen in hyn recente essay op het belang van ee ngedeeld tegenverhaal: »Een verhaal dat niet draait om het einde van de wereld, maar om het bouwen aan een betere toekomst; niet om afscheiding en superioriteit, maar om onderlinge verbondenheid en solidariteit. Een verhaal dat niet gaat over ontsnappen, maar over hier blijven, en trouw betuigen aan de onrustige, aardse werkelijkheid waarin we met elkaar verweven zijn.« https://www.groene.nl/artikel/een-duister-feestelijk-fatalisme
Eindtijdfascisme: Naomi Klein en Astra Taylor over de apocalyptische roes van de techbro’s en de Maga-Republikeinen

De machtigste mensen ter wereld bereiden zich voor op het einde van de wereld, een einde dat ze zelf krampachtig versnellen. Hoe doorbreken we deze apocalyptische roes?

De Groene Amsterdammer
@pbloem Amy Goodman van democracynow.org heeft Naomi Klein naar aanleiding van dat essay begin mei geĂŻnterviewd. Het kijken waard: https://www.democracynow.org/2025/5/5/naomi_klein_trump_silicon_valley
Naomi Klein analiza el “fascismo del fin de los tiempos” de Trump, Musk y otras figuras de la extrema derecha mundial que “no creen en el futuro”

La alianza entre la extrema derecha y la oligarquĂ­a de Silicon Valley estĂĄ dando lugar a un “fascismo del fin de los tiempos”, segĂșn el anĂĄlisis de la periodista Naomi Klein, quien recientemente ha publicado un ensayo en coautorĂ­a con Astra Taylor que describe cĂłmo muchas Ă©lites ricas se estĂĄn preparando para el fin del mundo al tiempo que contribuyen a la creciente desigualdad social, inestabilidad polĂ­tica y crisis climĂĄtica. Klein señala que, en tanto los multimillonarios sueñan con escapar a enclaves fortificados e incluso al espacio exterior, el presidente Donald Trump y otros lĂ­deres de derecha estĂĄn convirtiendo sus paĂ­ses en fortalezas militarizadas para impedir la inmigraciĂłn del extranjero e incrementar el control autoritario dentro de sus propias fronteras. “El fascismo siempre tiene cierto tono apocalĂ­ptico, pero el fascismo de los años 30 y 40 tenĂ­a como horizonte” un futuro utĂłpico, explica Klein. Hoy, por el contrario, “nos enfrentamos a personas que apuestan activamente en contra del futuro. Pero no solo apuestan activamente contra el futuro, sino que provocan los incendios que estĂĄn consumiendo el mundo”.

Democracy Now!
@pbloem such a great book. I have to admit that I once mistook Wolfe for Klein.

@pbloem
Very much this.

It's a basic rule of communication that you need to pitch the language to the audience, what is a quick shorthand for one audience is jargon or unacceptably loaded language for another. Mind you, given the performative nature of some on the left the audience is as likely to be the people seeing that the narrator has spoken as the people being spoken to.

@pbloem Patton Oswalt called it in this bit: https://youtu.be/AkKo1_RP_0c?feature=shared
Bad Guy Good Guy

YouTube
@pbloem very good advice but also easier said than done.
@dgodon Fair. But you can always tell the heroic failures from the ones who didn't try.
@pbloem That was the biggest weakness of Labour in the Corbyn era. Nobody normal says "Comrade" or even "solidarity". It's actually alienating to working class people who grew up fearing nuclear strikes by the USSR. It was 'communists' like Putin who were dangerous, not Democratic Socialism (and I say that as a Social Liberal.)
@pbloem it's a terrific book for lots of reasons