• ApostleO@startrek.website
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    6 months ago

    At this point I can only understand it if I know who’s saying it.

    That is the most frustrating thing about discussion these days. Everyone using the same words but speaking an entirely different language.

    When you don’t agree on the definitions of words anymore, or you don’t hold yourself to using them in good faith, then you take discussion off the table. You’re no longer debating; now you are just arguing. It’s one step away from violence.

    • Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      Comintern is a word that can be uttered almost without taking thought, whereas Communist International is a phrase over which one is obliged to linger at least momentarily… This accounted not only for the habit of abbreviating whenever possible, but also for the almost exaggerated care that was taken to make every word easily pronounceable.

      Because we’re inadvertently building our newspeak, but to wield against the opposition. ‘Woke’ ‘chud’ ‘groomer’ ‘hippie’ lets you hang a label on today’s target of vitriol without understanding. Not understanding the theory, the origins, background, context, etc - we apply the label, the bad person gets chided, now move on to next outrage.