The social activism scene is as alive and thriving as ever and, like any community, it comes with its own internal communication with acronyms, popularly used terms and phrases. Because a major tenet of activism is accessible, I find it important to help bridge any miscommunication gaps that occur. So, I'm explaining some of the more common vernacular.
A note about the language used in activism, it was and is largely developed by people of color, so there is crossover from African American Vernacular English. A major difference between the two is the accessibility, meaning that the language is applicable outside the black community, unlike AAVE.
With that in mind, let's dig in!1. SJW
Social Justice Warrior. It varies in usage from insult to a identity depending on personal opinion, location of the internet, context and on as far as the internet expands. The common denominator to all of this is ‘social activist.’ There are many variations on this as people have joked about being ‘social justice barbarians,' knights or clerics. It goes on and on for as many permutations as there are DnD books.
2. H/t
Hat tip. commonly used to help credit the people or person whose labor on the subject directly influenced or inspired the content. It's a good transparency policy to acknowledging people’s labor terms for issues that they deal with and helps establish a sense of community and equity.
3. Accessible
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/accessible. The more inclusive version of LGBT! Queer is more than just the ‘new’ way to say homosexual, it encompasses anyone who isn't heterosexual or cisgender. The 'A' isn't for allies, ever.
4. TERF/SWERF
Trans/sex worker exclusive radical feminism. A 'feminist' that frustratingly mimics the same systems it claims to fight against. TERFs don't include trans women in spaces and conversations on women. SWERFs often have a very patriarchal or puritanical ideas about sex work. Both police women while complaining about being policed which is a source of many headaches for me.
5. Non men/women
A non gender binary way to acknowledge multiple genders that are not men.
6. M/F/PoC
Male, Female, Person of Color, respectively. The standard term to encapsulate all people of color. Not interchangeable with specific races. Issues inside communities label the affected identifies. Person of Color is absolutely NOT the same as “c*l*red people” and that phrase is not acceptable. People of color is the reclaimed version that places person hood first to restore humanity.
7. Pro-intersectionality
Intersectionality is a theory coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, civil rights advocate and scholar, that's premise is social identities overlap and the oppressions of each work in tandem together. This theory was originally created to define PoC's realities in regards to oppression. The term pro-intersectionality seeks to ally and advocate for this original intention without misappropriating it.
8. Misogynoir
Created by Moya Bailey, a black queer feminist, it describes the intersection of racism and sexism black women experience.
9. Anti-racist
Acknowledges that racism is systematic and socialized by actively engaging with unlearning racist behaviors. As opposed to ‘not racist’ which is a passive attempt to distance from racism by viewing racist actions as unintentional and without a equal or greater reaction by impact.
10. Columbusing
A verb created from Columbus, the invading Spaniard. Used similarly to colonizing. Refers to theft, lies, and hostility present in colonial mentality.
11. Cw/Tw
Content warning/trigger warning. Trigger is being cycled out in favor of content as it's a more neutral word that takes into account victims of gun violence. Both are used before delving into topics that contain in depth or graphic descriptions and/or discussions such as rape, abuse and violence. Recognizing these are not just subjects that exists in vacuums and their real world impact creates environments where people are encouraged to engage in a realistic way as opposed to flippant mental exercise.
12. Cn
Content Note. similar to content warnings, this one used as broader content list. Some people use it interchangeable with content warning and keep it specific to generally accepted warning. Others use content notes to expand on content warning as subjects being discussed, much like key notes or highlights.
An example would be
Cw: graphic violence, death
Cn: graphic violence, discussion of violence, death, mortality, medicine, hospitals, cemeteries. Hopefully, this helped some people out, and will continue to. Being accessible is important in activism. It ensures everyone who wants a place at the table has the tools to do so.
