On Monday, January 20, in his inaugural address, President Donald Trump heralded the beginning of a golden age, and cast himself as a savior to America:
“Our liberties and our nation’s glorious destiny will no longer be denied.”
“Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable.”
“I was saved by God to make America great again.”
The aggrandizement of executive power, the hypernationalism, the belief that “I alone can fix it” — these tropes are all straight from the authoritarian playbook, according to professor and historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat and author of the book Strongmen. These kinds of rhetorical flourishes were once shocking; in the ten years since President Trump descended the golden escalator to announce his initial run for office, however, we’ve grown inured to autocratic language. Our challenge, then, as communicators and advocates committed to positive change, is to use strategies that help people decode what is happening, and inspire connection and empathy. Here’s how:
Name your foe.
“As in any effective story, we must name a clear villain,” writes Anat Shenker-Osorio in the Freedom Over Facism toolkit. “This is imperative for our efforts to protect our freedoms because MAGA Republicans will loudly and insistently cast our communities as villains, pointing the finger at Black and brown, transgender and queer, and Native and new Americans for the challenges a wealthy and powerful few have created. If we fail to impugn the true culprits and just passively name harms without an agent (e.g., ‘election workers are being threatened’), then our opponents’ explanation for the problem goes uncontested in the public conversation.”
Avoid passive voice whenever you can, and name your detractors directly. When we obfuscate the actual source of a given problem, we inadvertently add to cynicism and confusion on the part of the public. Generally, that confusion benefits the more conservative and conspiracy-minded forces in our culture, not those who are disenfranchised, vulnerable and attempting to move society forward.
Don’t give up your words.
Since President Trump took office on January 20, the federal government has been moving at warp speed to remove all programs and references to diversity, equity and inclusion; numerous major corporations have been following suit.
Some advocates will be tempted to eradicate these words from their lexicons. It’s happened many times before: In the 1980s, folks left of center ran away from the word “liberal” after it was demonized by Reagan-era; the word “feminist” has been alternately embraced and reviled in generational cycles since the 1960s. But backtracking on the words we use never works to our benefit. Critics simply pivot: Once conservatives stopped referencing the deleterious impact of “political correctness,” for example, they started railing against “cancel culture.” Instead, when attacked for the words you use, explain why you use them. Explain the thinking behind them — and stand with the communities who have selected certain words with care and intent. In a world of Amazons, be a Costco.
Check your sources.
“People also need to avoid conspiracy theories — and they need to avoid scaring people and doing the job of authoritarians for them,” says Scot Nakagawa, co-director of the 22nd Century Initiative, an organization which works to bolster democracy and weaken authoritarianism.
That means we all need to double-check our sources before amplifying rumors that Meta is making people follow Donald Trump’s Instagram account (false) or that federal tax laws around child support have been radically changed (also false). In a social media landscape without consistent content moderation and a political dialogue beset with misinformation, it’s more important than ever that communicators are clear on the facts.
Move past the horse race.
All too often our conversations about policy and political parties stay anchored in Beltway shorthand, focused on who won or lost the day, and with an assumption that the reader has a thorough understanding of our system’s various intricacies. While it’s crucial to point out corruption and push our elected leaders to act in our interests, it’s important to avoid maligning the democratic system as a whole. Protect Democracy’s authoritarian handbook reminds us that “overstating process dysfunction and conflicts [can] inadvertently help warm voters to executive power grabs.” Additionally, whenever you can provide context on a government action (for example, explaining not just the content of an executive order, but what it is and how it is enacted), you will bring more people fully into the dialogue.
Be fearless in your compassion.
On January 21, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde literally spoke truth to power from the pulpit, by pleading mercy for LGBTQ+ children and immigrants to the newly sworn-in leaders of the nation. She doubtlessly knew that her words would precipitate a backlash, from the administration and their supporters, and that they were unlikely to effect a change in policy. But in taking this action, she gave succor to millions who were moved by her act of courage and compassion.
Speaking out for impacted communities will not always have a clearcut ROI, to put it in creative agency terms. Do it anyway.
How are you combating the current climate of disinformation and autocratic speech? We’re here to partner with you on navigating a path forward. Reach out here — we’d love to hear from you.