In the fight for our Democracy, what's a word worth?

It's time to come to term with terms.

As I’m writing this on July 3, 2025, budget reconciliation bill H.R. 1 inches closer to a final vote in the House. The bill is such an antidemocratic atrocity, I can hardly fathom it exists and am horrified it’s a fleeting gasp from passage.

But I’m not showing up here to address the specifics of a big, bloated bill. I’m here to illuminate a topic I’ve not seen anyone thoroughly address: the imperative to adopt more accurate, informative language in the discourse about our Democracy.

Re-read the first sentence of the first paragraph of this article, above. You’ll note that I refer to the bill by the number, H.R.1. Its official title is “Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025.” Unfortunately, an enormous majority of coverage about this bill has used the nickname Trump and his associates coined, “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Moments ago, I compared Google search results for both the official title and the nickname. The number of results for the nickname exceeded the official title by 1,255,800,000. That bombastic term has been used nearly 1.3 billion times more than the bill’s real name. Clearly, catchy names stick, even when steeped in fallacy.

This matters because words matter—and not merely in relation to style or decorum. Research in neuroscience reveals that word choices elicit measurable effects in the brain, altering emotional response, decision making, overall well-being, and, potentially, gene expression. When large swaths of a population are consistently exposed to particular words, terms and tones of language, the collective effects across many brains are likely to influence societal norms and culture at large.

Understanding this, do you see how the rampant use of an oddly grand nickname for a horrible budget bill can be influential? Do you understand why I wish media outlets and pundits would’ve avoided saying it, even mockingly? Do you get why I’ve only stated the nickname once in this article?

In every article I write and conversation I have related to my Pro-Democracy message, I choose my words carefully. My goal is to convey information accurately through the Pro-Democracy lens without being unduly inflammatory (which I acknowledge is challenging when the facts are bleak). To follow is a portion of my Pro-Democracy lexicon. Give it a read, and consider integrating these terms into your own discussions to be more factually precise while being a voice for Democracy.

Regime, not administration

My use of “regime” in reference to Trump and those in office under him is on purpose, for a purpose. Sure, it’s most common and correct to call the executive branch of the government an “administration” in the U.S.. But that’s a neutral, standard-issue term, and there’s nearly nothing neutral or standard about the current executive branch. From day 1, Trump and his appointees have openly disregarded our Constitution and defied rule of law. In my educated estimation, “regime” is the operative, appropriate term to convey the repressive, authoritarian actions we’re experiencing in real time.

State-sanctioned kidnapping, not detainment or deportation

We are witnessing the daily practice of unidentified men abducting human beings based on physical characteristics. Men in masks wearing plain clothes, providing no identification, displaying no warrants or stating charges are forcibly abducting people from public places across our country. Sometimes they gain access by lying (aka ‘ruses’). These people are disappeared without any recourse or defense—with no chance to communicate with families or legal counsel. These scenarios are void of proper legal protocols, let alone any semblance of due process. By definition, this is state-sanctioned kidnapping. It’s inaccurate based on legal parameters to call what’s happening detainment or deportation. It’s important that the media, you, I and everyone call this what it is.

Kidnapping victims, not detainees

People who are disappeared by unidentified masked men are kidnapping victims, not detainees.

Concentration camps, not detainment centers

It's factually correct to call places such as CECOT in El Salvador and the just opened facility in the Florida Everglades* “concentration camps.” The defining criteria include mass arbitrary disappearances, overcrowding, inhumane conditions, ignoring/minimally addressing basic needs, torture and human rights violations. While these horrific locations may not be considered extermination camps because victims are not directly sent to their deaths, they are known as ‘final stops.’ That's right. Tens of thousands of human beings, the majority of whom have no violations other than minor traffic or immigration offenses (equivalent to misdemeanors), are being forced to live the rest of their lives in concentration camps funded by our tax dollars.

* Note that I am not using the nihilistic nickname for the Florida location that’s being laughingly purveyed by this regime.

Protests, not riots

I cringe when I hear someone refer to a protest as a riot. I also cringe to think that I probably lumped these two things together at some point in my younger life. However, these words are not interchangeable; they have conclusively different meanings. It’s imperative to use them accurately and correct anyone who calls a protest a riot, especially pejoratively.

Until this year, I never fathomed I’d participate in protests. However, until this year, I lived in a country with a functioning democratic government. As of this writing and only since this regime took office in January, I’ve been part of three protests. I’ve ventured out in the heat and rain to link arms with my husband and stand alongside thousands of others in defense of Democracy. These assemblies are energetic, emphatic, peaceful, lawful, and a cavernous cry from anything resembling riots.

In this season of my life, I realize that so many people (including younger me) conflate protests and riots because of false narratives purveyed by those trying to squelch important movements to preserve their privilege. Look back on history and read recent news to see that protests devolve to riots when authorities unnecessarily escalate and strike first.

Facts, not truth

I’ve long been careful to differentiate between fact and truth in my writings and conversations. Based on dictionary definitions, no teacher would take points off your final grade were you to write “truth” instead of “fact” in a paper. But, out here in the real world, connotation is consequential. It’s actually a big dang deal to separate hard facts that are neutral and verifiable from malleable truths formed through agenda-driven interpretation and emotion. Unfortunately, the distinction between fact and truth is easily blurred, especially with the aid of technology and social media. Why do you think the henchmen behind the head of the current regime named his social platform to capitalize on the quirk of connotation? Truth Social is oxymoronic (emphasis on ‘moronic’).

Dear friends, our brains are always listening. Words seep in. Terminology is consequential. Connotation and tone carry weight. How we speak of and to one another is crucial. May all of us tune into our spoken and written language to make healthier, more helpful and more hopeful choices…and discern when the words of others are being used to hinder and harm our Democracy.

Thanks for being here with me!
- Irene

p.s. - As always, I’m happy to provide full citations for any and all information shared above. Message me if you want the full list of sources with links.

p.s.s. - I’ve just learned that the big, bloated bill passed the House. Millions of our most vulnerable neighbors will suffer, a scant few ultra-wealthy people will cash in, but all of us citizens will pay a price (literal and figurative) for this massive injury to our Democracy.