In his book, The Fatal Conceit, The Errors of Socialism (1988), Friedrich Hayek explored the left’s reformation (or rather deformation) of the meaning of words we use to explain economic and political issues. They try to change meanings, substitute new words or add descriptors to obscure some of the negative aspects of the policies they promote. Thus abortion (a messy and deadly surgical operation) becomes a woman’s right to choose (a right that should be protected by the US constitution – but isn’t). A homosexual becomes a gay person, not only substituting a pleasant term to replace a semi-scientific term with negative connotations but also making a word originally defined as “joyous and lively; merry; happy; lighthearted” (New World Dictionary of the American Language) into something irretrievably sexual.
Weasel words
Weasel words
Weasel words
In his book, The Fatal Conceit, The Errors of Socialism (1988), Friedrich Hayek explored the left’s reformation (or rather deformation) of the meaning of words we use to explain economic and political issues. They try to change meanings, substitute new words or add descriptors to obscure some of the negative aspects of the policies they promote. Thus abortion (a messy and deadly surgical operation) becomes a woman’s right to choose (a right that should be protected by the US constitution – but isn’t). A homosexual becomes a gay person, not only substituting a pleasant term to replace a semi-scientific term with negative connotations but also making a word originally defined as “joyous and lively; merry; happy; lighthearted” (New World Dictionary of the American Language) into something irretrievably sexual.