Watch your mouth

Article

A Glossary of Far-Right Terms and Memes

Summary

BuzzFeed has assembled a useful list of the jargon and icons that members of the alt-right use in their communications.

Quote

"The Overton Window
A general concept to describe the limits ("window") of what the public finds acceptable. Some pundits have suggested that Trump has shifted the scope of this window, and that things like the "grab her by the pussy" comment would have previously been career-ending for a politician. The alt-right believes it's helping shift the Overton window for the public by making the movement's extreme speech normalized, and in its wake has opened up the path for Trump." 

Understanding

Sometimes I catch myself judging people into categories of those who "get it" versus those who don't. The people who "get it" share my worldview, and one of the primary ways I believe this to be true is through our shared vocabulary, cultural reference points and inside jokes.

Language connects and separates. I sound ridiculous when I throw down popular Millennial slang after looking it up in Urban Dictionary. I used to think I was signaling myself as an LGBTQ ally when I used phrases like,  "That's so gay..." until I realized how it hurt.

Learning the vocabulary and iconography of the alt-right can provide insight. Appropriating their insults into points of pride, e.g. pussy hats, helps deflect the pain.

Snowflakes, let's not minimize the cruelty beneath the surface as their vocabulary becomes commonplace.