That’s what one of my readers asked me, and I’ve answered the same question several times over the years from international readers trying to understand the US system of governance. Good luck with that!

To answer his question: their official title is Representative and that’s what they should be called, as in the House of Representatives. There is no such thing as the House of Congressman/men or Congresswoman/women.

I don’t know what idiots started this “Congressman” nonsense, which — for some reason — only applies to the House of Representatives. Senators are in the US Congress, but they are never called “Congressman/woman.” There is such a disconnect here.

People who don’t know the US system of governance get confused — understandably so — such as the reader who wrote me.

He was watching the proposed censure of that neanderthal Representative Margaret Taylor Greene. But the Representative who was proposing the censure was referred to as “Congresswoman” by the network the guy was watching which was confusing for this international viewer. So he asked me: So are there Representatives and another group called “Congressmen?” No, dear reader, they’re all the same thing. But I can understand your confusion. “Congressman/woman” is sloppy language when people mean to say and should use their official title: Representative. “Congressman/woman” is not an official title. Anyone in the US Congress could be called a “Congressman/woman” including Senators. But Senators are never referred to as “Congressmen” even though the Senate is part of the US Congress. Doh. The US system is pretty fucked up, quite frankly. There’s no wonder why so many people don’t understand the US system of governance at the federal level when you have people parked at microphones constantly using the wrong words and wrong language. And to make matters worse, I’ve heard Representatives refer to themselves as “Congressman” and “Congresswoman” rather than their official title. I’ve heard Amy Goodman — I thought she was all about accuracy? — refer to Representatives as “Congressman/woman.” She also uses the unofficial name for the US nation’s capital. She doesn’t call it District of Columbia either. Sigh. It’s hopeless. I think I’ll start referring to senators as “Congressman/woman.” That ought to fuck things up real good.

Again, “Congressman/men/women/woman” should not be used at all because it’s not their official title.

What happened to standards? Standards? There does not seem to be any standards these days.

This is the case with the media worldwide. I watch news networks from the EU and they’re just as bad. Their reporters will be out in the field of Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, and the talking heads in the studio will mispronounce the names of those countries and their people even after their reporter in the field pronounces the names correctly. Does the talking head in the studio not listen to their reporter who pronounces words authentically per the language of the country? Apparently not. There is such a disconnect. Sigh.

Good luck in your attempts to learn the US system of governance. You’ll need it considering all the inconsistencies and bad, sloppy language from anyone parked at a microphone, including so-called “progressives.” They’re just as bad.

Oh and by the way, another official title is: District of Columbia. That’s the official name for the US nation’s capital. Look it up! “Washington DC” is not the official title — it’s the sheeple title — and I can’t stand hearing “Washington DC” as a former District resident. Saying “Washington DC” is redundant and repetitive because there is no Washington *in* DC. They mean the same thing; they are synonymous. As a former District resident, I never use the language “Washington DC” because I know better! The District is my home town/city. As I was told when I lived there, saying “Washington DC” is like saying “San Francisco, San Francisco.” It’s saying the name twice because they mean the same thing. It’s not like saying “Chicago, Illinois” where Chicago is a city in the State of Illinois. DC is not a state. DC is a Federal District (District of Columbia) and Washington is another name for the Federal District. Again for the thick people, there is no Washington in DC. There is a Georgetown in DC. “Washington DC” is what the sheeple, politicians, and the corporate media and others say, those who don’t know any better. And how many people even know what DC stands for? I bet most of the people in the US don’t know that DC stands for District of Columbia.

I did hear Ronald Reagan when he was president say, “Here in the District….” So he knew and he was from California. Then I heard a reporter outdoors during a broadcast — it may have been Tom Brokaw — say, “I need to pause here for a moment because there’s a plane flying over the District…”

So when referring to House members, refer to them as Representative [person’s name].

And when referring to the US nation’s capital, refer to the Federal District (which is what it is) as the District of Columbia or the District or DC. All three are acceptable. If you say Washington, omit the DC part because it’s redundant. If you’re referring to the Washington on the US West Coast, say “The State of Washington.” That’s the official title for the State. If people referred to “The State of Washington”*** (see footnote below) and the District of Columbia, there would be no confusion as to what Washington you’re talking about.

Representative and District of Columbia are the official titles, respectively.

But I live under no illusions that anything will ever change with any of this stuff because no one will take my suggestions. And most people couldn’t care less what you call things. Things will continue as they are with people using unofficial language and names, and using the wrong words, which will continue to confuse international people. It’s just that I enjoy occasionally venting about this. In my past, I spent years arguing with so-called “liberals,” and so-called “progressives” and occasionally with the far-right over language and ultimately nothing ever changed. They all put up a wall and resisted any change because it meant they would have to consciously change their own behaviour, and they were absolutely not willing to do that, even when they knew they were wrong. How “progressive!” huh? Most people are often “progressive” in name only.

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***Quote: Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. End Quote