The NAC Glossary is an introduction to some of the commonly used words and acronyms in Eugene leftist spaces. It is meant for people who are fairly new to anarchism or new to local organizing.
There is an enormous body of nuance and context behind all of these words. Many of them have entire books and dissertations dedicated to explaining them. Our introductory definitions will not capture this complex range of meaning. We wanted to provide a working definition of some that come up in meetings and chats most frequently, with the understanding that there is always more to learn and unpack.
For questions or suggestions, please email contact@neighborhoodanarchists.org.
Terms
ACAB/1312 – Short for All Cops Are Bastards. This sentiment encapsulates the idea that the police force is a fascist organization that cannot be reformed and needs to be abolished. Even a “nice” cop’s job is still to violently uphold status quo and interests of the ruling class. It is not meant to disparage bastards (people with unwed parents). For more info see 7 Myths About the Police.
Accelerationism – The political philosophy that things have to get worse before they get better. Accelerationists advocate for things that will make things worse, in order to spur people to action and revolution. An example would be individuals voting for Trump and other republicans in order to speed up the collapse of US systems.
An-cap – Anarcho-capitalist. Extreme rightwing “libertarians,” free market extremists. Not actually anarchists.
Autonomy – The ability to self-govern and make an informed, uncoerced decision.
BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Bootlicker – Those who support and defends the actions of authority figures. Licking the boot that is crushing them.
Chud – A disparaging term for far-right wingers and their sympathizers. Often right wing militia in particular (like Proud Boys).
Consensus – A general agreement or acceptance among a group of people. Also can be defined as group solidarity in sentiment and belief (for Consensus Decision Making see https://neighborhoodanarchists.org/facilitation#consensus).
Democratic Centralism – A system of decision making where once the group makes a decision (usually by majority vote), everyone in the group has to back that decision and can’t undermine it. A common feature of authoritarian communist groups. “The party line.”
Direct Action – Creating change or highlighting issues in a community without relying on government or other indirect methods to accomplish goals. Commonly used to describe disruptive protest actions.
Dual Power – When groups create alternative structures that challenge state and capitalist power with the purpose of ultimately replacing the current power structures.
Emotional Labor – Emotional labor is the mental (non-physical) labor of people to organize or support others. It is often intangible and thus can go unseen or unrecognized as it is immeasurable, unlike physical work. This invisible mental work is done to smooth interpersonal relations or keep things running smoothly. It is work often done by women in the patriarchy and is devalued as a result.
Freddies – Derogatory term for federal forest cops.
Hierarchy – Systems structured around the struggle for dominance. Often used to structure social systems or governments by utilizing bias to place some groups/people above others (see capitalist pyramid).
Incrementalism – Belief in small change by degrees. Using the existing systems to change things slowly, instead of a more drastic revolution. Often used to silence a particular minority group in order to make an incremental improvement for a larger minority group. For example: Advocacy for gay marriage over trans liberation.
Intersectionality – A prism for seeing the way in which various forms of social category (such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability) often operate together and exacerbate each other. It highlights that people’s experiences of oppression and advantage are not simply additive but are compounded by the interplay of these multiple social categories, leading to distinct challenges and outcomes. For example, a black trans woman is experiencing the compounded oppression leveraged against blackness, women, and transness.
Liberal – Political philosophy that centers on free enterprise, individual rights, and some civil liberties. People with this political viewpoint believe that there are “good” capitalists and “bad” capitalists, but the system of Capitalism itself is desirable and superior to other philosophies. Liberals seek to be “good” capitalists by the use of regulations and by having a diverse group of people in power. The goal of liberalism is to maintain the current status quo. “A liberal is someone who opposes every war except the current war and supports all civil rights movements except the one that is going on right now.”
MLM – Acronym for Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. Umbrella term used to describe authoritarian communists. See “Tankie.” Not to be confused with “Multi-Level Marketing” aka pyramid schemes or “Men Loving Men.”
Mutual Aid – Acting together for shared benefit through the voluntary exchange of resources and services.
Mutualism – The arrangement where different groups or individuals work together and rely on one another to the benefit of everyone.
NIMBY – “Not In My Backyard.” People who claim to have progressive values but only as long as there aren’t things they don’t like near them (like people who are houseless, large apartment buildings, harm reduction centers, etc.)
Oogles – Punk traveler types. Sometimes implies they are unhoused by choice. Sometimes meant derogatorily, sometimes not.
PGM – People of the Global Majority. A way to refer to Black, Indigenous, Asian, Brown, and racially marginalized people, who are about 85% of the world’s population.
Radical – A generic adjective used to describe a change that is fundamental and extreme, striking at the very source of a problem. “Pulling up from the roots.”
Often used pejoratively by those defending the status quo to belittle someone who disagrees by calling them a “radical _______” (fill in whatever philosophy, religion, or belief system).
Revolution – Rapid and fundamental social, economic, cultural, or political change.
Salt – Union slang for someone who joins a worksite in order to form a union.
Scab – Union slang for someone who works during a strike, or an outside hire to replace striking workers. Often used as a derogatory term to shame people who cross the picket line.
Solidarity – Solidarity is an understanding of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a sense of unity of groups or classes. Often used in unionism.
Stochastic Terrorism – A form of political violence instigated by hostile public rhetoric directed at a group or an individual. Trump is using stochastic terrorism every time he speaks to rile up his base and manipulate them towards violent action.
Syndicalism – Revolution through labor unionism.
Tankie – Pejorative slang for authoritarian communists. So named because they support the tanks used by the Soviet Union to put down unrest in Hungary in 1956, as well as in later anti-Soviet revolutions such as in Czechoslovakia in 1968.
TERF – A “Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist” (stemming from the 1970s “Radical Feminist” movement) believes that womanhood is reserved for cis women. It makes womanhood an exclusive club accessible only by those they deem worthy of allowing in. TERFs often believe that including all women in feminism somehow hurts their cause for equal rights and that rights can be handed out piecemeal. They reject intersectionality.
Local Groups
BFD – Barefoot Defenders – Local group that does houseless advocacy and direct action.
Burrito Brigade / Waste To Taste – Local nonprofit that gathers food donations/waste and redistributes it to people and local groups (like FNB.)
CALC – Community Alliance of Lane County – Broadly left-liberal local social justice group. Been around a long time. Focus shifts over time. Currently immigrant focused.
CJL – Climate Justice League – UO student climate group.
CLDC – Civil Liberties Defense Center – Law office specializing in activist defense. They also do lots of trainings for know your rights and other important legal topics.
CORE – Community Outreach through Radical Empowerment – Local mutual aid/harm reduction non-profit for young adults.
DSA – Democratic Socialists of America – Big tent socialist org focusing mainly on electoralism and labor unions. National organizational with local chapters.
ECF – Eugene Community Fridges – Local group that helps stock and maintain free fridges around town.
EJS – Eugene Jail Support – Provides bail assistance and support to people arrested in Eugene/Springfield.
ESSN – Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network – Community support group for labor union actions.
FFLC – Food For Lane County – Big official local food bank.
FNB – Food Not Bombs – Cooks free mostly vegan food to distribute publicly. International organization with autonomous chapters.
GTFF – Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation – Union for UO graduate student employees.
HAND – Housing and Neighborhood Defense – Local tenant organizing group. Close with RSG and RWC.
Indivisible – Progressive pro-democracy group. Frequently tries to influence Democratic Party politics. Close with 50501. National organizational with local groups.
Insurgent – The Student Insurgent – A radical UO student magazine.
IWW – Industrial Workers of the World – Leftist union. National organizational with local chapters.
JVP – Jewish Voice for Peace – Jewish anti-Zionist advocacy group. National organization with local chapters.
NAC – Neighborhood Anarchist Collective – Local anarchist group with many project. Largely focused on mutual aid, radical education, and developing alternative infrastructure. Created this glossary.
PSL – Party for Socialism and Liberation – Communist political party. Uses Democratic Centralism. National organizational with local chapters.
RAD – Radical Alternate Development – Organizes punk shows and distributes harm reduction supplies in Eugene.
ROAR – Radical Organizing and Activist Resources – Coalition of radical student groups at UO. They maintain the ROAR Center and help coordinate actions across student groups.
RSG – Revolutionary Study Group – Local communist discussion and reading group. Close with RWC and HAND.
RWC – Revolutionary Women’s Committee – Local communist organization of women and non-binary people. Close with RSG and HAND.
SEAIN (Pronounced “seen”) – Springfield Eugene Anti Imperialist Network (formerly SEAIC) – Network of local groups ranging from radical to left-liberal. Mostly focusing on Palestine liberation organizing.
SETA – Springfield-Eugene Tenant’s Association – Local nonprofit that provides resources and support for renters.
SRA – Socialist Rifle Association – Lefty gun group focused on education. Has a rigorous vetting process to join. National organizational with local chapters.
SURJ – Showing Up for Racial Justice – Organizing white people for racial and economic justice. National organizational with local chapters.
WVAP – Willamette Valley Abolition Project – Local group that writes letters to incarcerated political prisoners.
50501 – Big left-liberal Anti-Trump org/movement. Organizes big protests. Close with Indivisible. National organizational with local groups.
