Authoritarian governments fear the transformative power of words that expose truths, challenge injustice, and inspire change. Since his return to the White House, the US president has been governed not just by executive orders, but also by imposing and forbidding specific vocabulary in what can be compared to a semantic lightning attack in the field of words.
A growing list of words and materials are being scrubbed from US government websites and documents in an attempt by the president’s administration to remove all references not only to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) but also to climate change, vaccines, and a many other topics. The effect of excluding those words will be so restrictive that, for example, researchers will shift, or leave, focus in their respective subject areas. Moreover, banning words deprives scientists of the ability to describe the world accurately.
Words make all the difference across multiple domains of human experience. From the neurological release of neurotransmitters during language processing to the psychological effects of framing, from the persuasive power of marketing language to the metaphorical structuring of political thought, words fundamentally shape how we perceive, think about, and interact with reality.
Words trigger specific brain responses, activate emotional reactions, shape cognitive frameworks, facilitate or hinder social connections, and reinforce or challenge cultural values. The choice between similar words with subtle differences can produce dramatically different outcomes in communication, persuasion, decision-making, and relationship-building.
What happens when we use certain words and not others in our daily lives or in our work? Lists of undesirable terminology are being used to identify and block federal funding for research that does not align with the new administration’s values and remove information from government websites. According to a compilation by the free speech and civil rights organisation PEN America, over 250 words are on these lists.
PEN America is built on the belief that “words matter.” Its mission centres on the power of language and the right of all people to speak freely. The organisation defends free expression in the US and globally, opposing any efforts to restrict language or discourage the use of certain words. PEN America views language as a tool for truth, dialogue, and social change and sees its defence of free expression as rooted in law, literature, and writers’ voices.
“How can we have intelligent or difficult conversations if we can’t even use the words, the most basic unit of meaning? We’re now living in a country where the government has decided that a sweeping array of everyday terms will be erased and forbidden in government agencies, websites, or even scientific research proposals,” says Jonathan Friedman, PhD, Sy Syms Managing Director of US Free Expression Programs at PEN America. He supervises research, advocacy, and education related to academic freedom, educational gag orders, book bans, and general free expression in schools, colleges, and universities.
Remember the proverb: Words are free; it’s how you use them that may cost you.
