The linguistic and managerial toolkit of neoliberalism: calling citizens "customers" or "stakeholders," recasting public goods as "investment opportunities," and framing massive inequality as "talent retention." It uses the language of freedom, choice, and efficiency to justify the consolidation of power and wealth, making exploitation sound like empowerment and extraction sound like growth.
Example: "The corporate memo was pure Neoliberal Orwellianism: 'We're empowering our associates with a dynamic career transition opportunity (mass layoffs) to streamline our talent ecosystem (cut costs) and enhance shareholder value (boost stock price). Your severance is an investment in your future journey (you're on your own).' It translated human devastation into the sterile, positive-sounding jargon of a business school case study."
by AbzuInExile February 1, 2026
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