Ted Williams III

The current American political climate is notoriously full of acrimony and vitriol. Research suggests that the partisan division in the US electorate is widening as Americans increasingly segregate by class, geography, and ideology. Are we hopelessly destined for a future of political combat in which Americans are unable to even hear the other side? What if bringing us a little closer was as simple as changing the political language we use?

Drawing from social science research about the use of language in sales, I argue that simple changes in the way we speak will have a significant impact. For example, a study done by Carnegie Mellon University had researchers change the description of an overnight shipping charge on a free DVD trial offer from “a $5 fee” to “a small $5 fee”. This change increased the response rate by 20 percent. The potential for changing language in our political discourse is tremendous.

The usage of many sound bite political terms unnecessarily exacerbates the gaps between us and subconsciously justifies bias and inequality. Most political labels in general create false choices and fixed ideological camps that encourage an “us against them” mentality. By changing the terminology that we use in our civil discourse, we can turn down the volume in our conversations. We may realize the commonality of our aspirations and that a commitment to respectful pluralism provides us all with a space to co-exist. This media and performance-based presentation is certain to inspire audiences towards individual and social transformation.