Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 9: Be kind to our language
Context is everything. Words have no real meaning if separated from the context and the larger message. As Tara describes, the administration and its allies and adherents are using understandable and straight-forward language to create an distinction between people, not a distinction based on different points of view or visions but on fundamental and unchangeable aspects of a person. There is much power in a preposition with these folks.
It is really not possible for me to keep up with the events that matter from my perspective unless I use the internet, use it deliberatively, but use it none the same. Still, I think the recommendation to read fiction is sound advice. Not only is it inspiration for how to read and use language, it also provides a framework for comparing what one sees with the themes and issues in the fictional story. Fiction is potentially more accurate than reporting on current events.
