Tag: language

When morally and ethically damaging phrases are used by political leaders and activists, it is clear that there is a pressing need to examine the semantic role that words play in the public political realm. It's inevitable that the goal of verbal abuse is to disentangle words from concepts. Words are summaries of ideas, and ideas may be either good or bad. Socio-religious obscurantism, for instance, is often expressed through the use of terms that have been created in a group setting. They represent a chilling intolerance of difference and variety. On the other hand, terms like "inequality" and "injustice" draw attention to the need for their opposites. The words have no positive connotation because of the prejudice, hostility, and enmity they inspire. Communal and casteist insults,...