Noting attacks on our standard dictionaries

[JennyG]

and not a million miles from discrimination, how about "phobic" -?
I'm not scared of gay people (unless spiritually perhaps) but thinking they're wrong makes me a homophobe to many people. I'm an arachnophobe too, but curiously like the vast majority of phobias, that has no moral dimension, whereas homophobia is pure evil.

There's also "diversity":
to the BBC, virtue begins and ends with celebrating diversity. The word has a proper dictionary definition, but more importantly, when you "celebrate" it, it's code for "enthusiastic endorsement of homosexuals and their lifestyle".

You'd probably find other examples filed under "Climate change" and "Creationism".

 

[JennyG]

When I used the term "evolutionist" on the old Dawkins website forum, the moderators more than once came down on me hard, and threatened me with expulsion for misuse of language.
I was luckily saved from that terrible fate I was able to point to the fact that Chambers lists the word and defines it simply as someone who believes in the theory of evolution, which was how I was using it. Some of them then actually blustered about complaining to Chambers!

The problem to them wasn't really that I was using the word wrongly, but that it ought not to exist at all, because if you have a word for people who believe in something, you imply that not believing in it is somehow a real option.
I'm not sure what the definition would be of what they were trying to do.... not so much re-define, as define out of existence.

 

[CuriousNdenver]

DISCRIMINATION!

I read with incredulity the case of an employer who advertised for a "reliable" worker. (Advert for 'reliable workers' banned as discrimination by Jobcentre Plus - Telegraph)

The 'error 'in the job advert was asking for a reliable applicant. It seems that anti-discrimination legislation is being interpreted as not permitting discrimination against the lazy and unreliable. The Law does not back the Job Centre attitude but is the starting point for their "interpretation".

I fear that a lot of good laws will receive similar "interpretation" to the detriment of our freedom as Christians.

How truly frightening. I suspect this is how many new interpretations get their beginnings.

and not a million miles from discrimination, how about "phobic" -?
I'm not scared of gay people (unless spiritually perhaps) but thinking they're wrong makes me a homophobe to many people. I'm an arachnophobe too, but curiously like the vast majority of phobias, that has no moral dimension, whereas homophobia is pure evil.

I'm an arachnophobe too! Such a good observation you make that believing homosexuality is immoral and a sin before God is confused with being homophobic in our modern society.

We do need to stand against these false interpretations of our language and help people understand what our position truly is. Regarding homosexuals, it does not help that we have people like the Westboro Baptist folks, who in the name of Christ attack homosexuals saying God hates them, rather than their sin. It is unfortunate that many who are homophobes vocally proclaim the name of Christ, yet act without the fruit of the Spirit when dealing with homosexuals.

Chick Fil A is under attack because the owner has admitted to a conservative stance and acknowledges that they support marriage between one man and one woman. They have clarified that their company policy is to treat ALL customers with excellent service and respect, including homosexuals, but it seems these words go unheard. The mainstream secular society focuses in on the words they want to hear, makes unfounded conclusions and paints Chick Fil A as an evil entity. To me, this is rebranding to an exponential degree!

 

[Eoghan]

As a High School teacher I now use "Creation" where I used to say "Nature". The distinction in my mind is that we confuse nature with what is natural. Knowing that Creation is fallen I cannot think of it as natural.

It is a small thing but significant to me.

 

[Eoghan]

SNP attempt to exploit the Olympics by coining new word "Scolympians"

With the referendum on independence clearly on the horizon Alex Salmond coins the term "Scolympian".
Unfortunately Andy Murray chose to drape himself in the Union Jack (not the Saltire) and
"I think I feel more British," Scott Brash, Scotland's top show jumper told Reuters at the Games, where his team won gold.


Scolympians or Team GB? Games flare secession row | Reuters
"Scolympians" or Team GB? Games flare secession row | Sport | The Guardian

I am pretty sure that a press release from the SNP was noted on Radio 4 to have the alternative spelling of "Scoolympian"

Should I say National Socialism?

 

[Eoghan]

The Curious effect of defining poverty as below 60% of the mean wage

As the recession bites and wages are both frozen and cut - the mean alters and - you have to laugh (and I am) -is responsible for a 2% drop in poverty!

BBC News - Child poverty down as household income drops - 300,000 taken out of poverty - by the recession

 

[J. Dean]

Loved the Babylon 5 section!

If you want to read a little bit about the deliberate changing of language for the purpose of manipulation, read Orwell's 1984.

 

[Tim]

As a High School teacher I now use "Creation" where I used to say "Nature". The distinction in my mind is that we confuse nature with what is natural. Knowing that Creation is fallen I cannot think of it as natural.

It is a small thing but significant to me.

I don't understand you here. Doesn't nature/natural distinguish from the supernatural (i.e., God and God only)? Can you explain further please?

 

[Rich Koster]

As the recession bites and wages are both frozen and cut - the mean alters and - you have to laugh (and I am) -is responsible for a 2% drop in poverty!

BBC News - Child poverty down as household income drops - 300,000 taken out of poverty - by the recession

I guess that when everyone is broke, no one is considered to be "in poverty"

 

[Eoghan]

As a High School teacher I now use "Creation" where I used to say "Nature". The distinction in my mind is that we confuse nature with what is natural. Knowing that Creation is fallen I cannot think of it as natural.

It is a small thing but significant to me.

I don't understand you here. Doesn't nature/natural distinguish from the supernatural (i.e., God and God only)? Can you explain further please?

Nature gives rise to natural law as a humanist would understand it, nature raw in tooth and blood. Anything observed occurring is deemed natural. Arguments from nature presume evolution. As a creationist I view creation as fallen and not natural at all. Death is not natural and yet it is our fallen condition (foreign to the original perfect creation). Likewise illness and disease is a consequence of the fall and is not 'natural' in the sense of being God's original intent for Creation.

 

[JennyG]

SNP attempt to exploit the Olympics by coining new word "Scolympians"

as people in this country have pointed out, it sounds more like a disease than anything else
The scolympians won't be much of a threat to team G Brilympians, never mind the Chinolympians and Amerilympians.

 

[CuriousNdenver]

I am a staff photographer for our school newspaper and was not all that surprised to see that one of our editors posted this on her facebook page this morning.

(Click on the image to enlarge so it is readable!)

(M) This image should help you and your friends translate what they're saying. Image by Keegan Fife VerBurg.

View attachment 3021

Now we know where to go to get the new definitions of our words.

 

[Eoghan]

Para Olympics of 2000 - cheats were not dumb enough!

I have an image of the para olympics being for brave men and women who are fighting back from limb loss and severe disfigurement. I think that the origin was from rehabilitating war vets.

Not any more, there is an intellectual disablement category. Spain was caught cheating when their basketball team could not be proved to have an IQ below 70! I kid you not check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheating_at_the_Paralympic_Games#Intellectual_disability

Who would you nominate for this category? On second thoughts maybe best not answer that question.

 

[Whitefield]

A symbol that is being co-opted is the rainbow. I have a cross on a rainbow colored lanyard and some people think it is political statement that I am pro-gay.

 

[FenderPriest]

I am interested in examples where the left (usually) has sought to load the language (Loaded language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Basically I want to have documented examples of where the vocabulary we share has been hijacked. One example I have in Scotland is where the definition of literature has been expanded to include - charts, maps, graphs and timetables, comics, games, labels, signs and posters. This allows them to change the teaching of english into "english and media studies" without any public debate.

Slut walks in the US are an example of trying to defuse the term "slut" but I can't help think their actions reinforce it.

You'd probably enjoy reading C.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man. He did this type of research and thinking way before the internet was cool.

 

[Eoghan]

When are you "late" for church? Should we adopt the definition of British Rail?

If you live close to church you would not be "counted" as late until you were five minutes late.

Coming to church from further afield, you would not be counted late until you were ten minutes late.

Train punctuality reaches new high - Telegraph

Oh and it would be when your car enters the parking lot (not when you get out the car, let alone sit down in your pew) that you "arrive."

Record-breaking train punctuality called into question by sensor row - Telegraph

 

[Eoghan]

Predistribution Labour's latest made-up word.

BBC News - Ed Miliband unveils 'predistribution' plan to fix economy

As near as I can make out it assumes presupposes a command economy in which more skilled workers will generate higher wages. (That is not all that it presupposes.) What I am fascinated by is the fact that it is a made-up word (thanks America)which is the vessel for a debunked theory. Mind you it has grabbed the headlines and like a mutating cold virus will infect many where the original idea, plainly stated, would not.

Is it not true that there are many more graduate students working in McDonalds? I also seem to remember that a graduate took the UK government to court for asking her to attend training in a LIDL store while on unemployment benefit/job seekers allowance.

 

[Eoghan]

... like a mutating cold virus will infect many where the original idea, plainly stated, would not.

Is this how heresies re-invent themselves?

 

[Eoghan]

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" (the latter)

I was intrigued to read of the high number of rapes in Sweden until that is you look at the way the statistics are collected. Likewise the number of kidnappings makes Australia look like the kidnapping capital of the world - until you realise that it is bloated by the inclusion of custody complications in divorces.

We should be very cautious in accepting what we hear. We really need to be shown how such statistics are collected.


Official figures from the United Nations show that there were 17 kidnaps per 100,000 people in Australia in 2010 and 12.7 in Canada.
That compares with only 0.6 in Colombia and 1.1 in Mexico.

BBC News - Sweden's rape rate under the spotlight

It also begs the question of how flexible our language is - I was shocked to hear that domestic abuse figures in the UK (on which I am sure Government policy is based) includes abusive language as "domestic abuse." Does that means swearing, raised voices or does it encompass such terms of 'abuse' as lazy? If my tax dollars/taxes are being diverted by such advocacy 'research' I would like to know!

 

[Eoghan]

Domestic abuse - redefined

BBC News - Government may expand definition of domestic violence (looking into)
BBC News - New guidelines issued on domestic abuse (conclusion?)

It seems that the government is following the line taken by advocacy research that includes 'verbal abuse' within the catch-all "domestic abuse." Will this outlaw any S&M type relationships such as those described in "50 Shades of Grey." There is a degree of micro-management here that is incremental.

This came in the same week I heard one of the girls involved in the 'Asian men grooming schoolgirls' scandal. At the tender age of 15, social workers were aware she was working as a prostitute. This is statutory rape in the UK, but our social workers, those guardians of society, and I quote, "respected her lifestyle choice."

I heard the phrase repressive tolerance last night to describe this sort of thing. I just call it hypocrisy! The reason that the age of consent was set at 16 was to allow a clear boundary due to, wait for it, the exploitation of young girls for prostitution. We need to remember our history and we need to teach our social workers why christians campaigned for a clear cut line.