Words mean nothing when those on the left use them in arguments

Comment from Australia

It’s easy to win an argument if you’re a leftist. All you need to do is change the rules of language as you go.

Plenty of allies will assist in this slippery enterprise. For example, then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard famously claimed in 2012 that Liberal leader Tony Abbott hated women.

“The leader of the opposition says that people who hold sexist views and who are misogynists are not appropriate for high ­office,” Gillard railed in parliament.

“Well, I hope the leader of the opposition has got a piece of paper and he’s writing out his resignation. “Because if he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn’t need a ­motion in the House of Representatives. He needs a mirror.“

At the time, misogyny was defined as a hatred of women.

This seemed an unfair accusation to level against Abbott, whose mother, wife, daughters, sister and female colleagues have never known him to exhibit any gender-specific loathing.

So the Macquarie Dictionary stepped in to help, softening the meaning of “misogyny” to now indicate a mere implication of “prejudice” against women.

“Gillard‘s critics no longer have semantics on their side,” the Guardian’s Lizzy Davies gloated. See? It’s just that easy.
But the cultural left doesn’t stop at changing definitions.

They’ll also change words and phrases, rebranding various unpopular commie concepts so those abominations may be more easily marketed.

That’s why “socialism” became “social justice”, “global warming” became “climate change”, “East Germany” became “Victoria” and “advanced confinement-grade dementia” became “Joe Biden”.

It’s also why “riots” became “peaceful protests” and “violent Marxist stormtroopers” became “Black Lives Matter”.

Words mean nothing to these people, except as shields or weapons. That’s “progressives” for you.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/tim-blair-words-mean-nothing-when-those-on-the-left-use-them-in-arguments/news-story/d4fdca22417e12bab083a4284b7a28bc

Parents back headmistress of £40,000-a-year Kent girls' boarding school in racism row after students demand she apologise for saying the word 'negro' in black history month assembly about how language has changed

Parents have backed the headmistress of a £40,000-a-year Kent girls' boarding school after students demanded she apologise for using the word 'negro' in a school assembly.

Samantha Price, head of Benenden School, which Princess Anne attended, used the term during a speech on Black History Month to show how language around black people had changed.

Afterwards she received complaints from some senior girls who claimed negro was as offensive as the n-word and her use of it could make pupils think they could do the same.

In response, she said: 'The original name contains an offensive word and by using this word in this context I was attempting to show how far language around black people has come since then.

'However, in hindsight I recognise it was not necessary to use the specific word and I accept that by using this word at all I have caused offence to some pupils. Clearly, this was never my intention and I unreservedly apologise for that error.'

But parents leapt to her defence and said it was not necessary to apologise for trying to educate pupils about the history of racial inequality.

One parent, a leading surgeon of Asian ethnicity, called Mrs Price a 'wonderful headmistress' who was trying to promote 'education and debate'.

Mrs Price explained how, when it began in 1926, Black History Month was known as 'Negro History Week' in America.

During the assembly she also said there was an 'important debate to have' over whether the commemoration was needed in the modern world since 'black history should be fully immersed in UK culture by now'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8879249/Parents-headmistress-40-000-year-Kent-girls-boarding-school-racism-row.html

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