Race Matters #185 Fracturing the language of empire
Nov 6, 2025
Omar El Akkad, a journalist and novelist focused on war and the impact of empire, shares insights about his latest work, "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This." He discusses the challenge of using language to affirm humanity amidst violence and the complexities of cultural narratives that shape resistance. Omar reflects on his disillusionment with colonial conditioning and the hidden costs of modern convenience. He also emphasizes the need for loud cultural expressions of grief and the psychological challenges of confronting empire.
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Writing As Human Assertion
- Omar El Akkad frames writing as a way to assert humanity against systems that deny it.
- He writes from anger and necessity, aiming to translate analogue suffering into language even if it fails.
Why The Prologue Shows A Girl From Rubble
- El Akkad opens with a rubble rescue to show language's insufficiency for trauma.
- He uses his fluency in English deliberately to make audiences witness violence they might ignore.
Language As A Pillar Of Empire
- Linguistic violence underpins physical violence by making harm seem normal or distant.
- Euphemism and censorship (e.g., detainee vs prisoner) enable public tolerance of brutality.
