Third Way, a centrist think tank tied to the Democratic Party’s pro-corporate shift of the 1990s, has issued a memo listing 45 “profoundly alienating” words it says Democrats should avoid.
Marketed as advice on how to “speak plainly,” the list is framed as a way to keep moderates and swing voters from viewing the party as elitist or out of touch.
In its summary of its recommendations, Third Way argues Democrats have fallen into a trap of using activist-approved language to court advocacy groups.
“These activists and advocates may take on noble causes, but in doing so they often demand compliance with their preferred messages; that is how ‘birthing person’ became a stand-in for mother or mom,” the memo states. The term was originally meant to acknowledge that some transgender men and nonbinary people can become pregnant.
“For a party that spends billions of dollars trying to find the perfect language to connect to voters, Democrats and their allies use an awful lot of words and phrases no ordinary person would ever dream of saying,” Third Way writes. “The intent of this language is to include, broaden, empathize, accept, and embrace. The effect of this language is to sound like the extreme, divisive, elitist, and obfuscatory, enforcers of wokeness. To please the few, we have alienated the many — especially on culture issues, where our language sounds superior, haughty and arrogant.”
Third Way says its list was drawn from voter focus groups, claiming it has never heard participants use these phrases except in mockery of Democrats.
The group argues Democrats must change how they speak to win back voters, warning the party’s “toxic” brand could leave it a permanent minority — or even render it extinct.
The memo divides its list into categories, starting with “therapy-speak” — terms meant to convey empathy but that Third Way says instead signal superiority. Examples include “privilege,” “triggering,” “microaggression,” and “safe space.”
Another category, “seminar room language,” refers to academic terms like “existential threat,” “systems of oppression,” or “cultural appropriation.” Third Way argues such jargon signals superiority and makes voters distrustful when they can’t follow what’s being said.
The category “sociology buzzwords” covers race-related terminology. Third Way argues such language can alienate the very communities it seeks to describe and implies that anyone unfamiliar with the terms risks being branded “racist.”
Naturally, LGBTQ-inclusive terms are not spared. Third Way argues they alienate heterosexual and cisgender voters by suggesting that “your views on traditional genders and gender roles are at best quaint.”
Examples include “allyship,” “pregnant people,” “birthing person,” and “chest feeding” — gender-neutral terms for pregnancy and child-rearing that Third Way says many voters find alienating.
Other discouraged terms include “cisgender,” “deadnaming,” and “LGBTQIA+,” along with “heteronormative” and “patriarchy.”
“Standing up to MAGA’s cruel attacks on gay and transgender people requires creating empathy and building a broad coalition, not confusing or shaming people who could otherwise be allies,” the memo states.
In presenting the list, Third Way acknowledged the risk of appearing to ban words — a charge often leveled at Democrats for policing politically incorrect language.
“We are not out to police language, ban phrases, or create our own form of censorship,” the group writes. “Truth be told, we have published papers that have used some of these words as well. But when policymakers are public-facing, the language we use must invite, not repel; start a conversation, not end it; provide clarity, not confusion.”
Third Way says these terms act as a “red flag” to many Americans, who disengage either because they don’t understand the language or fear “cancellation, doxing, or trouble with HR” for using the wrong words. Speaking more plainly, the group argues, would help Democrats connect with voters who might otherwise be receptive.
As LGBTQ Nation notes, Third Way’s list targets working-class voters who have shifted Republican over cultural issues. Yet some studies suggest Democrats could win back parts of that bloc by embracing progressive economic policies.
Third Way would likely disagree. The group has long rejected progressive economic ideas, favoring corporate-friendly policies and means-testing safety net programs — positions closer to traditional, pre-MAGA Republican orthodoxy.
Third Way promoted its recommendations on social media, but reactions from both right and left were largely mocking.
“You are definitely here to police language,” one X user wrote.
“What is the point of Third Way? To make Democrats lose harder?” another X user asked.
“‘Dems need to stop policing language… and we should start by banning these 47 words,'” wrote one Bluesky user, mocking the memo.
A user replied to that post, mocking the stereotype of an undecided voter: “‘look buddy, i’m as FAR left as they come, but I saw a person with blue hair talk to a democratic candidate once so I’m voting GOP,'” adding, “and somehow libs don’t consider this purity testing.”
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Edward O'Keefe, owner of Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore's Abell neighborhood, says a man maced two people outside the brewery as they were leaving "Butch Garden," a queer community event held from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, reports NBC affiliate WBAL.
According to charging documents, police received a call around 9:30 p.m. reporting that someone with a plastic baton was trying to attack him.
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Social conservatives instantly melted down, with some fans vowing to boycott the team over the addition of two males to the squad.
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