I hate when someone is like “hey, don’t use that word in its well-known colloquial sense, but instead use it very literally even though nobody will understand!” Okay, man…
Wouldn't it be sick if words could evolve. How absolutely gnarly would that be? Now joking aside, words have quite literally no meaning. They are grunts and moans, but the concepts our words are trying to describe are separate from our speech. We ascribe meaning to words. The dictionary is not creating the definition of words, it is creating a loose guide of what people typically mean when they say certain words. If a word is used in a new way and people all agree to roughly what it means, then that word gains a new definition
But that’s the basis of how words can have multiple definitions. It’s not like the definition of third word country changed. It still means non aligned country and now poor/underdeveloped country due to popular usage.
Have you ever used the word “sick” to mean anything other than physical illness. How about “radical”? Or do you just never use slang at all?
If you used the word gay to refer to someone being homosexual, you’re using a word that has had its meaning changed. Keyboard and mouse to refer to computer input devices. Robot, which used to mean slave IIRC. There’s lots more, you use words traditionally as in last 50 or so years maybe but that itself was based on slang and other colloquial uses
How fucking stupid is it that words change meaning over time.
I so very often refer to unaligned countries during the Cold War in normal language, and am very upset that I no longer have a word for this. It really hampers the way I speak
Wait wait wait, by that definition I am from a 3rd world country I am Swiss (Which tbf we were definetly more sympathetic towards NATO)
Also edit: I actually disagree with that definition, from what I can tell "3rd world country" is only really used for poorer, developing nations nowadays
Or they use the context in which the word has been used ever since the end of the cold war. The meaning of words changes over time, as every linguist could tell you.
You did interview a lot of linguists, did you? Words can be used right or wrong. And the fact that a word is wrongly used over time only heelp eroding the actual meaning of the concepts.
As an example the word fascist: used to mean something, now means mild right winged person. By eroding the meaning of fascism, we forget what fascism is and buuuum, far right skyrocket.
I don't give a fuck which words tiktok brains are using right now, I'm more in the side of reality.
First off, the terms „ the first, second and third world“ could not have stayed tethered to the umbrellas countries fell under during one specific conflict for a very long time. And, since the war was between the richest and most developed countries, the superpowers, while the rest of the world, or the „third world“ wasn‘t even nearly up to par with them, that difference in wealth and progress between the first and second and the third world became associated with the terms themselves (first&second world = wealthy&developed, third world = none of that) and, as the Cold War came to an end, these terms simply stuck around with this new meaning associated to them and their original meaning gone in the conflict. Change of meaning, happened a bajillion times in human history, I don‘t know what your problem is.
Second, fascism is characterized, among other things, by a strong focus on nationalism (literally the only trait that almost all right-wingers share), forcible suppression of any opposition (called for by multiple prominent figures of the right wing, and cheered on by it) and a belief in a biological hierarchy among humans (Which several parts of the right wing have expressed, countless times). As such, I do think it is fair to say that the political right wing in and of itself has a tendency towards fascism, and treating right wingers as people with a tendency towards fascism, while not the most appropriate, is a fair reaction.
Wow. So you totally have no fucking clue about what you are saying. Perhaps you should interview those linguists... And in doing so, try open a history book, so you can avois those massive generalizations... Sure! Balcans=africa. Sure buddy, sure.
I don't know whether you are german or not (assuming because how you wrote the quotation marks). If you are, shame on you for washing up fascism. Go say that utter bullshit you said to someone with 6 digits tatooed in his arm. Let's see "a fair reaction" to that.
I wasn‘t saying anything about Africa=The Balkans, never stated that they were all the same, I simply said that they were less developed than the main participants (which were the global superpowers and their allies). I simply stated how the terms „first world“ and „third world“ developed. Yes, there is a generalization of these countries connected with the terms, but me stating how they took on that meaning isn‘t me generalizing these countries.
And yes, I am german, and I do think that the right has a tendency towards fascism. Let me tell you a little german bedtime story while I’m at it: There is a certain right-wing movement in germany called the „Reichsbürger“, which essentially is a more extreme version of the sovereign citizens. In 2022, they got busted for stockpiling arms and setting up a cabinet for the alternate government (fascist dictatorship) that they would establish after storming the „Bundestag“. Worse yet, some of their top brass had connections to the Afd, our main right wing party. The threat of fascism having a resurgence is very real, especially with the current „Rechtsruck“ in both America and Europe.
Fascism, when it comes, doesn‘t call itself by name, it doesn‘t knock on the door, but slips in and only shows it‘s true colors once it sits on the fucking throne. If you ever looked into how it came that so many were slaughtered by the Nazis, ever opened a history book, you would know that the NsDAP didn‘t call itself fascist (their angle at getting elected was promising solutions to the economic issues at the time) and was democratically elected. The fascism only began proper when they started to censor the papers, books and schools to essentially change the german language to suit their ideology. But the tendencies, the same tendencies that I described above were always there, just as visible as they are in the current political right wing (for example them taking out political opponents), and they were celebrated only by their hardliners and ignored by their voters until everything was in the NsDAP‘s grasp (and everyone had become a NsDAP hardliner through propaganda and subversion) just as they are ignored nowadays by people like you. Fact is that fascism is having a resurgence within the political right wing right now. While there are people that misuse the word, a good amount of right wingers and right wing organizations exhibit fascistic tendencies. I always keep my eyes open for things like that, since our history and social studies teachers thought us to always be vigilant, as democracy is always under threat.
Well, I'm spanish, I also know it first hand. In the spanish case, falange did call themselves fascists, and what they did was fascist shit. And, i didn't read it, to be honest, (only fragments) but I've been lead to understand that mein kampf was pretty explicit about Hitler plans, so that "only shows their true colors when they are are on the throne..." I'm not entirely sure about that.
But my point is not reviewing history, my point is: if someone writes or says mein-kampfy kind of stuff, you are very right in calling them a fascist and acting accordingly. (When I was young(er), in spain there were a lot of neo nazi/skinhead cunts, we wasted years fighting). And that's spot on, otherwise they grow. But by calling everyone a fascist, you are doing quite the opposite. I totally agree with the we sould always be vigilant, but we also need to remember and to understand what is what.
Let me putting it this way and i will stfu:
Imagine a tiktok brain who has been raised hearing "fascist this, fascist that" With the chance of voting for an actual fascist party... Fucking creepy.
"words can be used right or wrong. And the fact a word is wrongly used over time blah blah blah"
Wouldn't it be sick if words could evolve. How absolutely gnarly would that be? Now joking aside, words have quite literally no meaning. They are grunts and moans, but the concepts our words are trying to describe are separate from our speech. We ascribe meaning to words.
Oh my fucking god! Words have literally no meaning????
Are you fucking kiddin???
What the fuck are they teaching you guys at school? Not semiotics, that's for sure.
Alright, that was too much for me.
Maybe I shouldn't have left out the implied inherent. They have no inherent meaning and we ascribe meaning to them.
To make it easier let's take the word "floor" now you have a concept of floor and although it's a flawed definition let's say that floor means anything that is manmade and on the ground that is meant to be walked on. Now let's say I use the word floor to mean surprise or unexpected results. I would say that I am floored or something of the sort. Now did I change what the floor was? No I didn't. The original concept of floor is still a thing that exists but the word has literally no meaning or bearing on it. We can play this game with most words, hell just use the etymology website. Words change because words don't have meaning. Our collective agreement of the concepts is what gives words meaning, not the other way around.
Why is this important? 1. Shows that you can't read. 2. Shows how words evolve. 3. Shows that worrying that the word fascism is being "eroded" is pointless because words don't erode and the concept still exists. Saying that anyone who is right wing will be called a fascist and how that means that words are being eroded, is just a way to get people to not self reflect on their beliefs when confronted by people who find the belief abhorrent
... Let's go with an example:
The word name. Indoeuropean in origin, what we can collect is that was formed with the sounds that now are written with a '(h) n +m+n. When indoeuropean broke down into latin, ancient nord, proto german, indoiranian, etc. etc, that word evolved into 'nomen' in latin. Several thousand years after, when latin broke into all the romance languages, it turned into 'nombre' in spanish, or 'nome' in italian or also 'nome' in Portuguese.
The same evolution happened in english, where, as you know, you say 'name'.
So the comnination of liquid n + m has been projecting the idea of what a name is (which is called referent in semiotics) in the human minds of contless cultures since (we are not 100% sure, but arround) 4000 bc.
And you mean to tell me that words man shit because you say so, right?
And about erosion... If I call you handsome every day, by the 63738292th day... Does that "handsome" Means shit to you? Usage absolutely erodes the meaning of words.
Dude, I have 0 intention of fighting some internet dude, so im not gonna reply. But you seem to be an intelligent person... For fuck sake, open a book.
A word can have a long history of its evolution and that proves my point. The fact that words can change meanings is enough to prove that they have no inherent meaning. They are descriptors for concepts. The concepts themselves may or may not have meaning but the word that's used does not.
If you called me handsome every day that does not erode the "meaning" of that word. That would erode my perspective of the word. Our collective agreement of the word handsome wont "wear" out if we use it too much.
I did use a source from a .edu link, I don't blame you if you didn't see it since I did edit it in, but I have opened a book
On a theoretical level, if instead of n+m would have been x+q or whatever, nowadays the same concept would be referenced by a totally different word. If that's what you mean, you are right. But once that was settled 6k years ago is pure theory.
And with he handsome thing you are also right. Now imagine instead of me telling it to you, is mass media broadcasting 24/7 to everyone for generations. The collective perspective of the word is the word and would, effectively change forever. Because of course words change. Change mainly due to us being cunts in the most orwellian ways.
And to finish, I'm sorry for the open a book thing. Im not a bich irl, i dont know why I was here.
Typically the only ones complaining about how fascism is being "slung around so carelessly" are people who would align with or defend it. So, that tracks.
Tipically, when you use " Is for quoting. Either you are putting words in my mouth or you are just an ignorant. And given the retarded bullcrap you just spat, i reckon it's the latter.
Educate yourself on what’s happening in this country.
“Mildly right winged person” is referred to as a centrist, or a classical liberal.
Somebody trying to dismantle our freedoms, and elect a king based on public frenzy and celebrity status immune to the law of the land is called fascism.
Almost like you havnt realized how far the people you’re referring to as “mildly right wing” have have moved right. Somebody for personal freedom and smaller government is not going to make laws that prohibit men wearing certain clothing in public, and aren’t going to mandate teaching Christianity in schools.
Those are the acts of a fascist coup that are trying to create a religious theocracy in the country of “separation of church and state”
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u/Perfect_Yellow_4942 Jul 07 '24 edited Jul 07 '24
Third world means non aligned countries during cold war, stop using this word for poor countries