RE: Why it is important to protect words from redefinition...
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I’ve had many arguments with people who call mask wearing, Molotov cocktail throwing, actual ‘leftists’, anarchists.
Media has swayed that word so off kilter that most people assume it means chaos and destruction. When it simply means no rulers.
I appreciate you writing this. Reminded me of a similar post I wrote a while back.
Words are just words. Seems most people today have forgotten that.
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Words are super important though. I've written posts about Anarchy as well talking about the same thing.
It's also why to me the label Anarcho-Communist has always seemed like an oxymoron. When we refer to rulers that does not mean the "mob" cannot be the rulers.
Oh no doubt. By words are just words, I was meaning it in the context of everyone being offended by them. In that they’re just words and literally can cause you no physical harm.
"Sticks and stones" my friend. At one time people understood that.
I walked around my grandkids last week saying "Punch, kick, slam, crash, attack, hurt, etc." I asked them if they were okay when I was done.
None of them were harmed despite the intent of the words. :)
I think it is important for people to be aware that dictionaries are something you voluntarily use. They don't actually have any authority and they are created by people. Anyone can create one. Whether or not you can convince people to use it or not is the challenge... yet if you can, and they treat it as authority then you by extension control the language.
This is important to recall when someone tries to retreat to a dictionary in an effort to win an argument.
Goes back to the appeal to authority fallacy. My dad pulled that one on me last week when (after he got the jab and went to the hospital a few days later) it had absolutely nothing to do with the jab, and instead was diagnosed with croup. Yeah, croup. "The doctor said that's what I had, so that's what I had!" I had to remind him that doctors used to recommend certain brand cigarettes to pregnant women, sooooo.....