So here’s my proposal. If these fuckers are willing to wear words like “racist”, “xenophobe” or “Nazi” as a medal, we need to start describing them with a word they can’t possibly treat as such. We need a word they will never want to appropriate.
What should this new label be? Ideally, it needs to be something that nobody would want to use about themselves – one that’s going to make them look sad rather than cool, and basically gross people out. It needs to be at least mildly abusive but, unlike so many terms of abuse, which relate straight back to someone’s genitals, needs to not be gendered. And ideally, to give us maximum flexibility here, it should work as both a noun and an adjective.
My suggestion, inspired by Bannon himself, is “shitbag”. I mean, no one in their mind is going to proudly go round claiming to be a shitbag, are they? Even the kind of people who bafflingly think that Pepe the Frog looks kind of awesome are going to think twice about greeting strangers with, “Actually, I’m a shitbag”.
[serious centrist vote]: But what about the feelings and careers of shitbags?