I try really hard to keep certain words out of my posts. Part of the reason is that I honestly don't use them in real life (even if working on a car can make me think them), and part of the reason is if someone is going to be offended by this blog, I'd rather they were offended by the concepts and ideas I present rather than the pettiness of finding fault in the words I use to express myself.
But, I don't believe in "bad words".
I even tell my daughter there are no "bad words", even though I explain there are words that will upset her grandparents if uttered in their presence. And I have been amused at the casual way she asks if a certain word is a "bad word" or not. I guess she gets that from someone else.
But, there are words that are like a screwdriver being hammered into my ear.
Words like "patriotism", "vote", "service" (when applied to a government tool of any variety), "citizen", etc. No, they aren't "bad" words, and could even be used in good ways, but since the main way I hear them is in propping up the police state, they hurt my ears.
But I don't whine and insist people stop using those words around me- and even if I wince, no one probably notices.
.
That's what grown-ups do ... too bad there aren't that many of us.
ReplyDeleteDistortion of language is a standard left-wing tactic. He who controls the language, controls the debate. There is therefore a constant attempt to take a word like "patriotism" and turn it from "love of one's country or culture" and into "obedience to one's government". The former definition allows for a desire to identify and correct faults, to generally improve your country and make it the best it can be. The latter does not. The former identifies the country as a whole. The latter identifies only the state.
ReplyDelete"Public safety" is another one. Making the public safer. What could be more innocuous than that? Of course, making the public safer might mean "measures which protect the individuals who make up the public, or which allow them to protect themselves", or it could just as easily mean "making the public less dangerous". Either's a valid interpretation, but politicians bank on you using one while they use another.