- The website of PRA  Home : Organizing Advice : Words
Matter–Thoughts On Language and Abolition   Words
Matter–Thoughts On Language and Abolition  Words alone can't
save us. But our language does shape what we can imagine, and by
using new words and old words differently, we can imagine new
things. A major reason the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) grows
is that we are told there isn't another option. We need to use
language creatively to make healthy systems possible as we
develop strong, specific challenges to the PIC.  The way people
talk about policing, prisons, safety, and "crime" shapes what we
think these things are, and forms the ways we imagine change can
or should happen. Words are not neutral, and it's important that
we break down and reshape their meanings in our own materials
and conversations. We can use language to shift debates, make
people see things differently, and challenge our own assumptions
and fears. Below are discussions and specific examples of how
our word choice can not only help