Language as a Weapon - How Words Shape Legitimacy Battles

Legitimacy is not just enforced through laws, institutions, or psychological conditioning - it is shaped by language itself. The words people use to describe power, identity, and fairness determine who is seen as legitimate and who is not.

Throughout history, dominant groups have controlled legitimacy through language, defining who belongs, whose perspectives matter, and what ideas are even allowed to be expressed. Today, Trumpism and the broader hierarchy-based legitimacy movement have weaponized language to undermine fairness-based legitimacy and reinforce traditional power structures.

The Historical Weaponization of Language in Legitimacy Battles

Words have always been used to justify power and delegitimize challenges to it.

Divine Right Monarchies: Framed rulers as “ordained by God,” making rebellion not just illegal but heretical.
Slavery & Colonialism: Used dehumanizing language to justify the oppression of entire races as “savages” or “lesser peoples.”
Patriarchy & Gender Hierarchies: Labeled women as “hysterical” or “irrational” to justify denying them political power.
McCarthyism & The Red Scare: Used the label of “communist” to delegitimize political dissent.

This pattern continues today - language is still a battleground for legitimacy.

Trumpism and the Rebranding of Fairness as “Woke”

One of the most effective modern legitimacy weapons has been the rebranding of fairness-based legitimacy as “wokeness.”

The term “woke” originated in Black activist circles, meaning awareness of systemic injustice.
Far-right movements co-opted and distorted it, turning “woke” into a catch-all insult for any challenge to hierarchy-based legitimacy.
Trump and conservative media have used “woke” to frame fairness-based legitimacy as irrational, elitist, and dangerous.

Trump’s recent address to Congress made this strategy explicit.

"Wokeness is trouble. Wokeness is bad. It’s gone."

This rhetoric is not just about policy - it is about delegitimizing fairness itself.

How Hierarchy-Based Legitimacy Uses Language to Attack Fairness

Hierarchy-based legitimacy movements consistently use linguistic framing to:

Reinforce Traditional Power Structures
- “Law and order”: Frames state violence as necessary and just.
- “Family values”: Code for patriarchal and heteronormative legitimacy.
- “Religious freedom”: Used to justify legal discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.
Delegitimize Social Justice Movements
- “Political correctness”: Framed as oppressive rather than protective of marginalized voices.
- “Cancel culture”: Used to dismiss accountability as unfair persecution.
- “Groomers”: A revived moral panic to delegitimize LGBTQ+ rights.
Obscure Economic Power and Injustice
- “Job creators”: Frames billionaires as benevolent, legitimizing wealth inequality.
- “Welfare queens”: Used to delegitimize public assistance programs.
- “Free markets”: Framed as neutral, despite serving the wealthy elite.

These linguistic tools are not neutral - they are weapons in the legitimacy war.

Why Fairness-Based Legitimacy Struggles to Control Language

One reason hierarchy-based legitimacy has been so resilient is its ability to control the dominant narrative.

Hierarchy-based legitimacy simplifies language → It uses clear, emotionally charged phrases that tap into deep-seated biases.
Fairness-based legitimacy often relies on complex arguments → Terms like “intersectionality,” “structural inequality,” and “social justice” require context and explanation.
Right-wing media has centralized messaging → Fox News, talk radio, and social media repeat legitimacy-framing messages relentlessly, reinforcing their power.
Progressive messaging is often fragmented → Without a centralized fairness-based legitimacy framework, the left struggles to control linguistic battles.

This is why conservatives can turn “woke” into an insult overnight, while fairness-based movements struggle to reframe the debate.

Reclaiming Language in the Legitimacy War

If fairness-based legitimacy is to survive, it must win the linguistic battle.

Reclaim & Redefine Words
- “Woke” should be framed as awareness, not extremism.
- “Equity” should be framed as fairness, not favoritism.
- “Freedom” should not be ceded to conservatives - it must be reclaimed as collective liberation.
Expose Linguistic Manipulation
- When conservatives weaponize language, it must be called out directly.
- Example: Instead of debating “cancel culture,” expose it as a distraction from real power abuses.
Control the Narrative Early
- Words shape legitimacy before policies are even debated.
- The left must learn to define terms first, not react after the fact.

The legitimacy war is being fought with words as much as with laws and institutions. Winning the linguistic battle is not optional - it is essential.

The Legitimacy War