4 ms·
If 99.9% of people missunderstand what a word means, then maybe it doesn't really mean what you think it does, or has no clear meaning at all. Webster didn't g
by frenchy 6y ago
If 99.9% of people missunderstand what a word means, then maybe it doesn't really mean what you think it does, or has no clear meaning at all.
Webster didn't get his dictionary from a discrete meeting with some cave spirit.
- ceilingcorner 6y agoConsidering that the label of fascism is usually being used with reference the the Nazis (ironically almost never to the actual Italian fascists themselves - a symptom of the historical ignorance I mentioned), I’m gonna say yes, the word has a specific meaning.
- RIMR 6y agoYou say "actual Italian fascists" as if the Nazi party wasn't "actually fascist". I would say it's pretty clear that you're the one with the poor understanding of fascism.
- ceilingcorner 6y agoI said actual Italian fascists because... that’s where the word came from. They invented it. The Nazis copied many ideas from Mussolini, who was in power for a decade or so before the Nazis. Apparently historical facts are downvoted now?
- dumb_troll 6y agoI'd suggest reading the article before going 2012 era TCOT
- n4r9 6y agoI don't down vote on here but if I were to guess, it's not for stating facts, but for asserting your rigid interpretation of those facts as if it were the only obvious conclusion.
- nytgop77 6y agoGood point. Words are means of communication. Though there is a problem of ambiguity if word is reused (adjusted) for different meaning, while books (and people) from 1940 still continue using the old meaning. (just pointing out that meaning of words of dead people also matter)
- ceilingcorner 6y agoThen what’s the new definition? Anyone with right wing opinions I don’t like? And I can redefine communist as anyone with left wing opinions that I dislike? Do you see why this is a dangerous path to go down?
- Bakary 6y agoNew words appear constantly or old words are re-appropriated to fill the semantic necessities as they appear Seeing it as a dangerous path implies some voluntarily action and that is not exactly the mechanism at hand.
- ceilingcorner 6y agoI think it’s a dangerous path because it leads to dehumanizing the other. As I said, the exact same thing happens when people on the right call anyone left wing a communist. Exactly same phenomenon, just as dangerous.
- Bakary 6y agoWhat I'm saying is that it's going to happen regardless of the consequences, because of how languages evolve. Coming from a culture that likes to regulate language, I find that any effort in that vein tends to fail pretty spectacularly. At best, you can mandate spelling reforms. If dehumanization occurs, and people then counter that phenomenon, new words and new meanings will appear naturally just like they always have. Old words will stop being employed. There will still be confusion for a while but it's never really a significant problem. Semantic differences are a symptom of fundamental disagreements rather than a cause. Look at the word "alt-right" for instance: it filled a need, appeared quickly, was initially criticized as a euphemism but rapidly took on more specific and non-euphemistic meaning. For the younger generations, calling anyone left-wing a communist in the way you describe is already hilariously passé and associated with boomers.
- ahepp 6y agoI suspect you may have meant "discreet" rather than "discrete" (although I suppose the latter could make sense). I mix them up quite often myself.