What in the word?

Wasn’t it fortunate and timely, I thought, that just when words started to be the news — as opposed to simply being used to record and report the news — Planet Word came on the scene? The time for a museum of words and language had come!

This belief motivated me to write a Message from the Founder every few weeks. I used that space to express thoughts about words that had been in the national conversation — for instance, about banning books, the benefits of dinner table conversation, AI and deep fakes, the science of reading movement, and the removal of certain hot-button words from government documents.

Some of these issues touched on politics, but I tried to steer clear of topics that might be overly partisan and alienate Planet Word fans. After all, Planet Word had been designed to welcome everyone. Indeed, the museum’s content had been carefully chosen to appeal to anyone who walked through its doors — we hoped there was something for everyone, no matter their background, age, wealth, or interests.

But at the same time, we never let go of our belief in evidence-based, fact-based argument, civil discourse, and creating a community of people who loved words. So we tried to live up to those beliefs when choosing our programming, writing new content, planning special events, and posting on social media. And I tried to stick to those principles when I wrote any Message from the Founder.

Recently, though, I have not been able to finish my Message drafts. Every time I start to write one, I find my sentences becoming entangled in politics, just what I had been trying to avoid for so long. Upon reflection, I think it’s for the same reason that a museum of words and language has become more relevant than we ever anticipated when we opened — because words are now dominating our national conversation, making any commentary on word use or education hopelessly politicized and partisan.

A few examples: the dismantling of the Department of Education and with that the lessened ability to ensure that students are receiving equitable education, especially poor children or those with disabilities; declaring English the national language; questioning formerly widely accepted words in the Constitution, like the clearly stated Section 1, Clause 1 of the 14^th Amendment, granting citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the United States; threatening broadcasters with the loss of their license for featuring speakers who criticized the Administration or its positions; levying huge fines on law firms that defended critics of the President; withholding millions of dollars in federal research funding from universities because of their alleged condoning of antisemitism and lack of protection for Jewish students following Oct. 7, 2023; the branding of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide; the labeling of drug traffickers as “terrorists” and the illegal border crossings by immigrants as an “invasion,” thereby giving the President unlimited powers of response; limiting wide press access to news conferences and newsmakers; using demeaning and vulgar language to refer to people who disagreed with the President; a lawsuit against CBS for editing an interview with Kamala Harris; firing leaders of federally funded museums for being “woke” and demanding oversight of their exhibits, partnerships, and plans for the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; and whether the Constitution bans hate speech.

So there has certainly been a rich source of subject matter that I could have taken on — issues of fundamental importance to Planet Word, but as these issues took front and center in our national dialogue, voices stronger and more knowledgeable than mine took up the pen, persuasively expressing the ideas that Planet Word holds dear.

In a September 19^th editorial in the New York Times, which itself was sued for $15 billion by the Administration, they reminded readers that

[in] his Inaugural Address in January, Mr. Trump promised to “bring back free speech to America.” [Vice President] Vance, speaking in Munich in February, excoriated European countries for restricting speech and promised, “Under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square, agree or disagree.

The editorial concluded that “The ability to disagree with other people on raw, difficult issues, without fear of repression, is the essence of American freedom.” That is my message, too, and the essence of Planet Word.

—Ann Friedman, founder of Planet Word