This discussion over in the 2022 topic got me thinking on how many common attributes “call for action” slogans are.
They are always in the imperative and always inclusive and vague.
E.g.
- Obama’s “Yes, we can” … doesn’t explain what we can do, so everyone is included, by imagining what they want to be able to “can do” (Mitsotakis’ “united we can” is a direct plagiarism of that)
- Trump’s “Make America great again” … doesn’t explain how they are planning to do that, what “great” means, or when it was great before so that people can have a specific time-reference. In retrospect and in the memory of people things are usually better, so everyone is included, each by imagining their own time when that nostalgic greatness was located.
- Macron’s “avec vous” … you cannot get more vague and inclusive than that. It is a great slogan!
- Tsipras’ “hope is coming” … everyone hopes for something and with that slogan you are practically promising nothing, because you just imply that you bring hope. You don’t even specify when is hope arriving.
and so forth…
However the ancient poets/generals had taken that on another level … I can imagine them brainstorming like in a Monty Python skit:
— Let say “Go forth Atheneans! Fight for our city.”
— We have fighters from other places too …
— ok, make that “Go forth children of Hellas! Fight for the motherland!” … then maybe fight for your children?
— Not everyone has children though. 
— and wives!
— yeah, lots of single dudes mate. 
— and Gods and sacred customs!
— lots of atheists too… 
— You are hard to please, you know that? we’ll add “… and the tombs of your ancestors!” everyone has parents, so put a sock in it. You don’t get more inclusive than that, ok?
Thus Aeschylus’ legendary:
"Ὦ παῖδες Ἑλλήνων, ἴτε,
ἐλευθεροῦτε πατρίδ᾽, ἐλευθεροῦτε δὲ
παῖδας, γυναῖκας, θεῶν τε πατρῴων ἕδη,
θήκας τε προγόνων· νῦν ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀγών."