A new comrade with a lot of energy and creativity has joined my organization. It is a joy to work with them and they add a lot to our work. However, they have years of critical theory academy time in them and it makes it difficult to discuss politics...because I do not understand anything they say. I am seeking advice on how to handle this constructively. If I am alienated speaking to them, certainly the community we work in will be too and I want to avoid that situation. An emblematic example is below:
For instance, we were having a good conversation about disability activism and suddenly a switch flipped and they entered jargon mode. When I told them I did not understand they got very apologetic and seemed hurt. I do not know how to proceed.
There have been a few similar instants and now I am starting to dread when they raise their hand. Clearly some of the issue is in my reaction, too, and I am trying to work on that. Any advice is appreciated!
It seems you've already mentioned that what they do is not great in the moment, good.
Do you best to keep the :pain: off your face and out of your voice when they start into jargon-ese.
Never stop politely reminding them to pause and explain what the jargon means every time they use it (and either stop using the jargon or use it less because they'll find it disruptive to their train of thought). Be as upbeat and chipper as you can when doing this.