Us
The most dangerous two-letter word. Born from ego and the need for security. To them, us is they. (see also Them)
How We Say It
us
Where It Comes From
Old English ลซs โ objective case of wฤ (we). Proto-Germanic. Among the oldest pronouns in the language. 'Us' is a relational word โ it only means anything relative to 'them.'
How It's Been Used
'Us vs. them' is the most durable structure in political speech. The content of 'us' โ who it includes, who it excludes โ is the actual political argument. 'America First' is a claim about who counts as us. Every nationalist movement is a dispute about where the boundary falls.