Dwain Northey (Gen X)

Taking Back the Words: Why the Liberal Left Must Reclaim Language and Make the Right Defend “Nazi”

Somewhere along the line, the liberal left lost control of the dictionary. Words like woke—which originally meant being aware of social injustice—have been turned into insults. Libtard, a grotesque mashup of “liberal” and “retard,” became a go-to slur for anyone who believes in compassion. And meanwhile, the right has managed to whitewash terms like “nationalist,” “Christian patriot,” and even “America First”—phrases with deeply fascist roots—into something they wear proudly on a red hat. It’s time for progressives to flip the script, take back the words, and make the other side defend the indefensible.

Let’s start with woke. It was never about elitism or smugness. Being woke once meant you were awake to reality—the systemic injustices that too many preferred to sleep through. But as soon as people started using it to call out racism, sexism, and inequality, the right weaponized it. Now, they spit it out like it’s toxic. The left shouldn’t run from the term; it should lean into it. Yes, I’m woke. I believe people should be treated equally. I think children should learn history accurately. I think women should control their bodies. If that’s a bad thing, then maybe the problem isn’t the word—it’s the people who fear it.

And libtard—let’s dismantle that one. It was meant to humiliate, to fuse empathy with weakness, intelligence with stupidity. But what if liberals embraced it, too? “Yes, I’m a libtard,” one might say. “I care about climate change, healthcare, and democracy—sorry if that offends your feelings.” It’s the same energy the LGBTQ+ community used to reclaim queer, transforming a slur into a badge of power. When you own the insult, it loses its sting. It becomes armor.

But here’s where the linguistic war really needs to turn: the right needs to own Nazi. For too long, they’ve managed to deflect, deny, and downplay their creeping authoritarianism. They wave flags that look suspiciously similar to 1930s banners. They idolize strongmen who jail opponents, demonize minorities, and scapegoat the press. They march with torches, shout “blood and soil,” and still somehow insist they’re the patriots. If liberals have to constantly defend words like woke, conservatives should have to defend their flirtation with fascism. You like banning books? Silencing teachers? Demonizing immigrants? Great—defend that. Defend the ideology that history already judged and condemned.

Language is power, and the left has spent too long surrendering it out of politeness. Every time a liberal backs away from a word because it’s been turned into an insult, the right wins another inch of cultural ground. It’s time to reclaim that ground—loudly, unapologetically, and with humor. Because authoritarianism feeds on fear, but it chokes on mockery.

So yes, be woke. Be a libtard. And make the people flirting with fascism explain, in public, why they keep defending Nazi talking points without ever using the word. Let’s turn the tables. Because in the end, whoever controls the language controls the narrative—and it’s long past time for progressives to grab the mic back.