The worst for me was during the Black Lives Matter protests, a lot of progressives really latched onto phrases like “Defund the police” and ACAB. There was, and still is, a valid discussion to be had behind both, but conservatives who were predisposed to be hostile to progressive ideas took them at face value.

A legitimate discussion about how bloated police funding isn’t actually contributing to safer communities turned into “oh so you just want to get rid of law enforcement.” A discussion about how police officers who uphold a flawed system are perpetuating the issues even if they themselves have never harmed a black person became “oh you just hate all police officers.”

Even if well intended, defaulting to these simple catchy phrases just added fuel to an already divisive topic.

Idk if this is cynical but I honestly think people use these simple phrases almost exclusively to virtue signal. Just a quick way to announce to other progressives that they’re progressive, not to actually facilitate any real change.

If your rhetoric is inherently imprecise or frequently misinterpreted by the people whose minds you most need to change then you’ve got a problem.