A slogan or tagline is a phrase that is used to draw people in, to invite people to buy a product, attend an event, or join a cause. The problem is, by nature, they have to be bold, flashy, and catchy to work. In making a catchy slogan, you sacrifice clarity and honesty for brevity. An example: You want police reform, and you need support from others who have become disillusioned by policing practices in this country. A problem arises: You need a catchy slogan. DEFUND THE POLICE seems to do the trick. “Defund the police” is an anti-police slogan through and through, but the issue is this: That’s not actually what anybody wants. It sounds nice, it sounds bold, and it’s easy to yell, but what you really want is better training and vetting processes for police officers. Unfortunately, “We want better training and vetting processes for police officers” sounds pretty pro-police in my book.
We want the police to be better, not worse. The desired outcome is for things to improve, so why do we seem to think that defunding the police is the path to that goal?
BLM: Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter, so what can we assume the point of the movement is from just the slogan alone? Nothing at all.
Kill all men: This is obviously more of a joke slogan, but again, if we look at it on the surface, we don’t know why this slogan exists. We’ve entirely given up on clarity and traded it for conciseness, to a fault. There are plenty more examples, but I think I’ve made my point. Even legacy slogans like “Yes We Can” have room to be improved in the meaning anything department.
With all this in mind, I propose a new slogan: Use Better Slogans.
Get better at saying what you mean. Improve your vocabulary so you can convey your message with the brevity you seek without sacrificing meaning and clarity.