Thread Reader helps you read and share Twitter threads easily!
I'm @ThreadReaderApp a Twitter bot here to help you read threads more easily. To trigger me, you just have to reply to (or quote) any tweet of the thread you want to unroll and mention me with the "unroll" keyword and I'll send you a link back on Twitter 😀
— Thread Reader App (@threadreaderapp) November 25, 2017
X thread is series of posts by the same author connected with a line!
From any post in the thread, mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll
Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us easily!
Practice here first or read more on our help page!
Recent
Something has been done to the word “victim.”
Not to its definition — that hasn’t changed. A victim is simply a person who has been harmed by an external force. That’s what the word means. That’s all it has ever meant.
But somewhere along the way, the word stopped feeling neutral. It started carrying something extra. Something that wasn’t in the definition. A weight. A flinch. An almost involuntary sense that calling yourself one says something unflattering about you — that it signals weakness or an unwillingness to move forward.
As if there is an implication of shame for NOT TAKING THE ABUSE STOICALLY.
It’s important we stop and ask where that feeling came from.
Because it didn’t come from the definition. It was added. And anything added had to have a driving force behind it.
So what has been driving the pejoration of this word, and for what reason?
There is a clear explanation that points to the abuser.
🧵
Not to its definition — that hasn’t changed. A victim is simply a person who has been harmed by an external force. That’s what the word means. That’s all it has ever meant.
But somewhere along the way, the word stopped feeling neutral. It started carrying something extra. Something that wasn’t in the definition. A weight. A flinch. An almost involuntary sense that calling yourself one says something unflattering about you — that it signals weakness or an unwillingness to move forward.
As if there is an implication of shame for NOT TAKING THE ABUSE STOICALLY.
It’s important we stop and ask where that feeling came from.
Because it didn’t come from the definition. It was added. And anything added had to have a driving force behind it.
So what has been driving the pejoration of this word, and for what reason?
There is a clear explanation that points to the abuser.
🧵
To understand what has been done to the word “victim,” you need to understand how words carry meaning.
Every word has two layers. The first is its denotation — the literal, dictionary definition. Precise. Fixed. A victim is a person harmed by an external force. That is the denotation. It has not changed.
The second layer is connotation — the emotional and associative meaning that surrounds a word beyond its definition. Connotation is not written in any dictionary. It lives in the collective subjective experience of the people using the word. It is built slowly, through repetition, through tone, through the context in which a word is consistently used. And unlike denotation, connotation drifts.
This drift has a name. It’s called semantic shift — the gradual evolution of a word’s perceived meaning through cultural and social use. When that drift moves in a negative direction, when a word that was once neutral begins accumulating shame, stigma, or weakness in its connotation, that process is called pejoration.
The word “victim” is undergoing pejoration.
Semantic shift can happen organically — through local culture, through repeated social exposure, through minute subjective interpretations compounding across a community over time. No conscious intent necessary. Just enough people absorbing and reflecting a feeling back into a word until that feeling becomes inseparable from it.
But there is a second way this happens. Connotation can also be pushed. Deliberately shaped by psychological motivation to move a word in a particular emotional direction. And in the case of this word — that motivation has a very clear and identifiable shape and source.
Every word has two layers. The first is its denotation — the literal, dictionary definition. Precise. Fixed. A victim is a person harmed by an external force. That is the denotation. It has not changed.
The second layer is connotation — the emotional and associative meaning that surrounds a word beyond its definition. Connotation is not written in any dictionary. It lives in the collective subjective experience of the people using the word. It is built slowly, through repetition, through tone, through the context in which a word is consistently used. And unlike denotation, connotation drifts.
This drift has a name. It’s called semantic shift — the gradual evolution of a word’s perceived meaning through cultural and social use. When that drift moves in a negative direction, when a word that was once neutral begins accumulating shame, stigma, or weakness in its connotation, that process is called pejoration.
The word “victim” is undergoing pejoration.
Semantic shift can happen organically — through local culture, through repeated social exposure, through minute subjective interpretations compounding across a community over time. No conscious intent necessary. Just enough people absorbing and reflecting a feeling back into a word until that feeling becomes inseparable from it.
But there is a second way this happens. Connotation can also be pushed. Deliberately shaped by psychological motivation to move a word in a particular emotional direction. And in the case of this word — that motivation has a very clear and identifiable shape and source.
So we must ask ourselves: What kind of psychological motivation would deliberately push a neutral word toward shame? And more specifically — who benefits when survivors feel ashamed to use it?
To answer that, consider what happens when a survivor freely and openly identifies themselves as a victim. Without shame. Without qualification. Without shrinking.
They are implicitly pointing at someone. They are saying something was done to me, by someone, and that someone is responsible.
“Survivor” is a word the abuser can tolerate. Survivor implies you endured something. “Victim” implies someone did something to you. It is bluntly condemning of the abuser by implication. And that distinction is the threat.
And there is a very specific type of person who feels that implication personally — and is threatened by it.
The abuser.
A survivor who comfortably claims that word is a survivor who is speaking. And a survivor who is speaking is a direct threat to the abuser’s most critical defense — obscurity. The narcissist’s entire operational model depends on the abuse remaining unnamed, unacknowledged, and socially invisible. A survivor who speaks openly and without shame begins to dismantle that invisibility.
This threat doesn’t require conscious calculation to activate a response. It is instinctive. Self-protective. And the most effective way to neutralize a survivor’s voice without directly silencing them — without leaving fingerprints — is to make them feel ashamed of using it.
So the word gets pushed. Not through coordination. But independently, consistently, and in the same direction — by enough individuals operating from the same underlying psychological threat response that the cumulative effect becomes indistinguishable from a coordinated campaign.
But how is that possible without us recognizing it?
To answer that, consider what happens when a survivor freely and openly identifies themselves as a victim. Without shame. Without qualification. Without shrinking.
They are implicitly pointing at someone. They are saying something was done to me, by someone, and that someone is responsible.
“Survivor” is a word the abuser can tolerate. Survivor implies you endured something. “Victim” implies someone did something to you. It is bluntly condemning of the abuser by implication. And that distinction is the threat.
And there is a very specific type of person who feels that implication personally — and is threatened by it.
The abuser.
A survivor who comfortably claims that word is a survivor who is speaking. And a survivor who is speaking is a direct threat to the abuser’s most critical defense — obscurity. The narcissist’s entire operational model depends on the abuse remaining unnamed, unacknowledged, and socially invisible. A survivor who speaks openly and without shame begins to dismantle that invisibility.
This threat doesn’t require conscious calculation to activate a response. It is instinctive. Self-protective. And the most effective way to neutralize a survivor’s voice without directly silencing them — without leaving fingerprints — is to make them feel ashamed of using it.
So the word gets pushed. Not through coordination. But independently, consistently, and in the same direction — by enough individuals operating from the same underlying psychological threat response that the cumulative effect becomes indistinguishable from a coordinated campaign.
But how is that possible without us recognizing it?
Right, here's the whole solidarity protest with @salltweets from Australia House, London, 23rd May in full. Grab a cuppa and enjoy. We must continue to work in solidarity and internationally, let's expose this pernicious ideology for what it is. #IStandWithSallGrover #FixTheSDA 
Intro by @Tara__Hughes and @MrMennoTweets from Australia House, London, 23rd May. #IStandWithSallGrover #FixTheSDA
Here are statements from Moira Deeming and Jasmine Sussex, from the solidarity protest at Australia House, read by @Tara__Hughes and @MrMennoTweets
@MoiraDeemingMP #IStandWithSallGrover #FixTheSDA
@MoiraDeemingMP #IStandWithSallGrover #FixTheSDA
Czech President Pavel: if Russia's violations of NATO airspace continue, the alliance will have to shoot down unmanned, or manned , aircraft.
Russia does not understand nice language. They mostly understand the language of power. — The Guardian. 1/
Russia does not understand nice language. They mostly understand the language of power. — The Guardian. 1/
Pavel proposed asymmetric responses: switching off Russia's internet or satellites, cutting Russian banks from the global financial system.
"Not killing people — but sensitive enough to make Russia understand this is not the way they should go."
2/
"Not killing people — but sensitive enough to make Russia understand this is not the way they should go."
2/
Pavel on how Russia calibrates its provocations: When I asked them why they do provocative actions — overflights, close encounters over battleships in the Baltic — their answer was 'because we can.'
That's exactly the kind of behaviour we allowed.
3/
That's exactly the kind of behaviour we allowed.
3/
A 294-person randomized trial tested three diets over 18 months and tracked how each one changed the gut microbiome and metabolic health.
The polyphenol-rich version outperformed others at every level. Microbiome changes seemed to be driving the improvements.
Here’s what it showed: 🧵
The polyphenol-rich version outperformed others at every level. Microbiome changes seemed to be driving the improvements.
Here’s what it showed: 🧵
The trial randomized 294 adults with obesity and poor lipid profiles into three groups:
1. Standard healthy dietary guidelines (control)
2. Mediterranean diet + 28g/day walnuts (rich in polyphenols)
3. Green Mediterranean diet + 28g/day walnuts + daily green tea (3-4 cups) + 100g/day Mankai (polyphenol-rich plant)
Both Mediterranean groups were calorie-restricted and received the same walnuts, so the only difference between them was the added green tea and Mankai.
All three groups received physical activity guidance. Stool samples were collected and sequenced at baseline and 6 months.
PMID: 35264213
1. Standard healthy dietary guidelines (control)
2. Mediterranean diet + 28g/day walnuts (rich in polyphenols)
3. Green Mediterranean diet + 28g/day walnuts + daily green tea (3-4 cups) + 100g/day Mankai (polyphenol-rich plant)
Both Mediterranean groups were calorie-restricted and received the same walnuts, so the only difference between them was the added green tea and Mankai.
All three groups received physical activity guidance. Stool samples were collected and sequenced at baseline and 6 months.
PMID: 35264213
All three groups improved. But the improvements scaled with the diet. The more plant-rich and polyphenol-dense the diet, the better the outcomes.
Weight loss: control lost 1.6%, Mediterranean lost 5.4%, Green Mediterranean lost 6.5%.
The same pattern showed up in waist circumference, blood pressure, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and Framingham cardiovascular risk score.
Weight loss: control lost 1.6%, Mediterranean lost 5.4%, Green Mediterranean lost 6.5%.
The same pattern showed up in waist circumference, blood pressure, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and Framingham cardiovascular risk score.
Why the time between Dhuhr & Maghrib on the Day of Arafah may hold the greatest potential value in your entire life?
The time between Dhuhr and Maghrib on the Day of Arafah is considered so special because it is the peak moment of standing at Arafah, which the Prophet ﷺ described as the essence of Hajj.
On that day, the pilgrims gather in Arafah, and the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Hajj is Arafah.” (Tirmidhi)
And during that window, something unique happens:
“Hajj is Arafah.” (Tirmidhi)
And during that window, something unique happens:
Former Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba: Poroshenko already understood Normandy was really a 3+1 format: Russia, Germany and France on one side, Ukraine on the other.
Not because Berlin and Paris wanted us destroyed, but because they imagined peace through Ukrainian concessions. 1/
Not because Berlin and Paris wanted us destroyed, but because they imagined peace through Ukrainian concessions. 1/
Kuleba: In Paris, Putin realized Zelenskyy had become president of Ukraine. He expected a show-business Zelenskyy from the post-Soviet world.
Instead, Zelenskyy came as president — and refused the Minsk algorithm Russia had pushed onto Ukraine with Germany and France. 2/
Instead, Zelenskyy came as president — and refused the Minsk algorithm Russia had pushed onto Ukraine with Germany and France. 2/
Kuleba: The main goal is not to break one specific person, but to break Ukrainians’ will to resist.
One way is to spread “the authorities are bad” until society starts eating itself. Different actors add their interests, and it becomes a cumulative bomb. 3/
One way is to spread “the authorities are bad” until society starts eating itself. Different actors add their interests, and it becomes a cumulative bomb. 3/
This⬇️
>>In total, I have more than 100 mapped hits on russian logistical means.
...means a lot in terms of truck attrition.
100 killed out of a truck fleet of projected 2,500 on this route is 4% of the total.
1/
>>In total, I have more than 100 mapped hits on russian logistical means.
...means a lot in terms of truck attrition.
100 killed out of a truck fleet of projected 2,500 on this route is 4% of the total.
1/
Ukrainian military intelligence estimated Kamaz made 15,000 trucks from Feb 2022 to early 2026.
Call that period 49 months, and that's a Truck production rate of 300 a month.
100 trucks killed in a couple of months is "normal wastage."
2/
Call that period 49 months, and that's a Truck production rate of 300 a month.
100 trucks killed in a couple of months is "normal wastage."
2/
A hundred Russian trucks, with a high proportions of fuel tankers and wreckers concentrated on one or two supply roads or a single road junction in a couple of weeks is a horse of a different color.
That is anti-access area denial (A2AD) on a stick.
3/
That is anti-access area denial (A2AD) on a stick.
3/
Two years ago a Ukrainian seven-year-old boy named Oleh was declared an orphan and placed with the family of a Russian paratrooper from Pskov Oblast.
In 2022 his adoptive father served in the unit that killed civilians in Bucha — Ukrainska Pravda. 1/
In 2022 his adoptive father served in the unit that killed civilians in Bucha — Ukrainska Pravda. 1/
Oleh is one of 37 children taken from the Donetsk orphanage “Teremok” on February 18, 2022 — six days before the full-scale invasion. That day 626 orphans were taken from occupied territories to Russia. 2/
Oleh was lifted by his arms and carried onto a bus. The children were born after 2014 — in occupation. They waved through the windows. 3/
General Zaluzhnyi, former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces:
What is modern war? The era of extremely expensive precision-guided weapons, which were the true game changers of the twentieth century, has been replaced by weapons of attrition. 1/14
What is modern war? The era of extremely expensive precision-guided weapons, which were the true game changers of the twentieth century, has been replaced by weapons of attrition. 1/14
These are cheap, mass-produced, yet highly accurate weapons that rapidly exhaust expensive weapons systems — the very systems upon which NATO doctrine is largely built. These weapons of attrition continue to evolve systematically and effectively. 2/14
If someone thinks these are simply drones that can quickly be purchased for an army, then they are deeply mistaken. By 2026, drones are increasingly becoming merely the final instrument of a broader technological system. 3/14
Russia’s elites start to believe Putin is leading the country into a dead end — but still expect him to escalate the war, not stop it.
One businessman close to the Kremlin: “There is profound disappointment in Putin,” The Guardian. 1/
One businessman close to the Kremlin: “There is profound disappointment in Putin,” The Guardian. 1/
Putin publicly projects calm and control.
Days after reports claimed he was hiding in a bunker fearing assassination or a coup, Kremlin TV showed him casually driving his former schoolteacher to dinner at the Kremlin carrying flowers in jeans and a light jacket. 2/
Days after reports claimed he was hiding in a bunker fearing assassination or a coup, Kremlin TV showed him casually driving his former schoolteacher to dinner at the Kremlin carrying flowers in jeans and a light jacket. 2/
Behind the image, cracks are spreading.
Russian officials, business figures, and Western intelligence sources describe growing frustration over the stalled war, economic decline, internet shutdowns, and “senseless, self-destructive decisions.” 3/
Russian officials, business figures, and Western intelligence sources describe growing frustration over the stalled war, economic decline, internet shutdowns, and “senseless, self-destructive decisions.” 3/
Cortisol was designed to save your life.
But if it never drops, it starts destroying it...
Chronic stress physically reshapes your brain causing memory loss, weight gain, and accelerated aging.
Here's how to reverse it:
1. The damage isn't permanent
But if it never drops, it starts destroying it...
Chronic stress physically reshapes your brain causing memory loss, weight gain, and accelerated aging.
Here's how to reverse it:
1. The damage isn't permanent
Your brain has a remarkable ability to rewire itself called: neuroplasticity.
Even after years of chronic stress, the hippocampus can regrow.
Cortisol-related weight gain can reverse and cellular aging can slow.
But only if you stop the flood first...
Even after years of chronic stress, the hippocampus can regrow.
Cortisol-related weight gain can reverse and cellular aging can slow.
But only if you stop the flood first...
2) Morning sunlight
Get outside within 30 minutes of waking.
It resets your cortisol curve: high in the morning, low at night.
(Most people have this completely backwards)
Get outside within 30 minutes of waking.
It resets your cortisol curve: high in the morning, low at night.
(Most people have this completely backwards)
🚨 BREAKING: ChatGPT has a feature called Story Brand Messaging Engine.
You can use it to rewrite your entire brand message using Donald Miller's 7-part framework in one sitting.
Here are 7 prompts to access it: 👇
You can use it to rewrite your entire brand message using Donald Miller's 7-part framework in one sitting.
Here are 7 prompts to access it: 👇
Prompt 1: The Hero Identifier
Prompt:
"I run [describe your business in one sentence].
My ideal customer is [describe them: role, situation, daily reality].
Using StoryBrand's Character principle, identify the ONE dominant desire my customer has that my product connects to.
Not a list of wants. One survival-level desire that drives their buying decision.
Then write a single opening line for my website that positions the customer as the hero pursuing that desire. No cleverness. No brand name in the headline. Just the desire, stated plainly."
Prompt:
"I run [describe your business in one sentence].
My ideal customer is [describe them: role, situation, daily reality].
Using StoryBrand's Character principle, identify the ONE dominant desire my customer has that my product connects to.
Not a list of wants. One survival-level desire that drives their buying decision.
Then write a single opening line for my website that positions the customer as the hero pursuing that desire. No cleverness. No brand name in the headline. Just the desire, stated plainly."
Prompt 2: The Three-Layer Problem Mapper
Prompt:
"Using the brand context from my previous message, apply StoryBrand's Problem framework.
Every customer problem has three layers:
→ External Problem: the tangible surface-level issue they can name out loud
→ Internal Problem: the frustration, self-doubt, or emotional struggle underneath
→ Philosophical Problem: the "it shouldn't be this way" injustice they feel
Map all three layers for my customer.
Then write three short taglines (one per layer) that I could test as subheadlines on my homepage. The internal one should sting a little. The philosophical one should feel like a rallying cry."
Prompt:
"Using the brand context from my previous message, apply StoryBrand's Problem framework.
Every customer problem has three layers:
→ External Problem: the tangible surface-level issue they can name out loud
→ Internal Problem: the frustration, self-doubt, or emotional struggle underneath
→ Philosophical Problem: the "it shouldn't be this way" injustice they feel
Map all three layers for my customer.
Then write three short taglines (one per layer) that I could test as subheadlines on my homepage. The internal one should sting a little. The philosophical one should feel like a rallying cry."
