This matters now: Building pluricultural futures seems such a daunting task while 3/4 of the world lives under authoritarianism. Decolonization is critical engagement with the colonial past, not erasure.

I highly recommend this essay!

Saraceni explains why metaphor matters: it encodes ideology. When we say English "naturally spread" or "languages compete," we hide human choices and violence. Decolonizing means understanding language through power - how people's choices shape institutions or public policy.

The essay explores how the "English as global gift" narrative sanitizes empire by editing out colonization. We need to deal with the uncomfortable package deal: the "gift" came with violence and inequality. This isn't just about English - Spanish and Portuguese carry this too.

Colonial binaries still structure how we talk: civilisation/savagery, religion/superstition, nations/tribes, literature/oral tradition, languages/dialects. In my conservation work, I hear these constantly from NGO staff, officials, researchers.

Saramago wrote: "Languages are conservative, they always carry archives and detest updates." (Ensaio sobre a Lucidez / Seeing). If we want to build alternatives, we need to speak differently too.

This came up after seeing someone say she's an immigrant, not an expat. As someone from South America, I feel that discomfort too. Many examples come to mind. Westerners call themselves expats but call us immigrants - feels like a metaphorical way to maintain distance and hierarchy.

Lmao 💀 💀 💀

I wouldn't put it past him.

As we all know, swiss army knives need to get their best ideas in the shower.

Spineless and rotten liberalism in a nutshell.