Omnicause

Submission 52

About

Omnicause is a slang term used to describe the convergence of several causes into one, and has been used in both positive and negative contexts, particularly when simultaneous fight for multiple misaligned causes hinders achieving progress in any of them. Spawned in October 2023 and related to the concept of intersectionality, the term has saw gradual spread on social media through 2024.

Origin

The earliest found use of the term "Omnicause" is an October 24th, 2023, X^[1] / Twitter post by user @fakegreekgrill. The user commented on a lesbian club in Columbia writing "zionists aren't invited" on their movie night poster, writing, "It seems like where "intersectionality" went wrong was assuming that anyone with any claim to oppression must be part of one omnicause + global warming for some reason." The post (shown below) received over 10 reposts and 90 likes in one year.

On November 20th, 2023, the term appeared in an UnHerd^[2] article about Just Stop Oil activists staging a sit-in protest in support of a ceasefire in Gaza (snippet shown below). On January 11th, 2024, a column titled "All hail the Omnicause" in MSU Reporter^[3] reviewed the term and ascribed the authorship of the neologism to @fakegreekgirl.

Spread

Starting in early 2024, the term saw gradual spread online as it was used in contexts of people, particularly liberals, supporting several causes at once, with some posts using the term going viral. Notably, on March 11th, 2024, X^[4] user @PhillyGov made a post about the YIMBY movement, setting it apart from "being an ideological litmus test for the progressive Omnicause." The post (shown below) received over 290 reposts and 3,900 likes in six months.

The term has appeared multiple times in discussions related to climate activist Greta Thunberg and her activism in support of Palestine in the 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas conflict. For example, on May 11th, 2024, X^[5] user @moveincircles wrote, "Fascinated by how seamlessly the Omnicause has ingested Greta Thunberg", with the post gaining over 200 reposts and 1,900 likes in four months (shown below).

The spread of the neologism online was followed by its use in memes. For example, on September 23rd, 2024, X^[6] user @ProgDirectorate made an I Fucking Love X meme that garnered over 50 reposts and 750 likes in two days (shown below).