“Words cast spells. That's why it's called spelling.”
No one knows who first said that phrase, but it's most certainly true.
Words are magic. They have power.
In 1839, English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” It’s amazing when you think about it, because words are nothing more than a set of vibrating air pressure waves that reach your ear...or a series of ink spots on a piece of paper...or pixels on a computer screen. But they can make your heart beat faster, or make you cry. They can lift your spirits or drive you into a rage. Words are incredibly powerful.
Words and their meanings have been used to affect outcomes throughout human history. And now, the progressive left has taken language to a new level. In order to facilitate their social engineering goals and progressive agenda items, they replace words that stir strong emotion with those that are "softer" and more "comfortable."
Here’s a list of words the left has co-opted and whitewashed so they sound better on a mainstream media six-second soundbite:
“Taxes” have become “Revenue Enhancements/Investments/Contributions,“ as in, “We’re going to pay for this pork barrel project through increased revenue enhancements and contributions from the top 1% who are not paying their fair share.” Remind me not to forget to file my IRS Contribution Form 1040 by April 15th.
“Illegal Alien” has become “Undocumented Immigrant.” We certainly don’t want to offend some poor migrant worker who crosses the border seeking a better life for his family, right? But instead of enforcing immigration law by having people come here LEGALLY, the left wants to eliminate the notion that there is anything wrong with people pouring over our borders. And couple that with the leftist strategy of wanting “undocumented immigrants” to be allowed to vote….well, we can see where that’s headed.
“Mother” has become “Birthing Person.” Actually, I don’t know why. But maybe, we can get out in front of the next woke trend and call fathers “Sperm Contributors?” That’s going to be an interesting one for Hallmark card writers!
“Rioting, looting and burning” is now “Peaceful Protesting.” Of course it is.
“Hunger and poverty” have become “Food Insecurity.”
"Gender" has become…. who knows what?
Another popular trick the left performs is to expand the traditional meaning of words for their own purposes.
“Infrastructure” used to mean roads, bridges, and airports. Now, according to the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the proposed multi-trillion-dollar 'Infrastructure" bill is so much more. In their words, the bill's top priorities are:
Strengthen the Care Economy;
Bold Investments in Affordable Housing;
Dramatically Lower Drug Prices & Use Savings to Pay for Public Health Expansion;
Bold Investments in Climate Jobs and Impacted Communities;
Roadmap for Citizenship and Inclusion for Immigrant Communities.
I can just hear the politicians running to the nearest microphone to say, "We need to invest in the infrastructure that assures fairness, equity and social justice for all!” You get the idea.
A “Racist” used to be, according to Merriam-Webster, “a person who believes that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race." Now, a racist is ANYONE who doesn’t agree with the progressive agenda or speaks out against the approved state-sponsored narrative.
The left uses the same trick with the word ”Extremist.” Any views that are not in alignment with the left’s doctrine are considered “extreme,” and the person who expresses those views is an “extremist.” It stands to reason, then, that since I voted for Trump, I am an extremist.
Here’s an FYI to those on the left: We know that the words we use to speak out against all this hyperbole are powerful because, if they weren’t, you wouldn’t try to silence, cancel, censor, or shame us.
For a stable, functioning society, there needs to be a common language and accepted definitions and meanings of traditional words and phrases. We are witnessing the power of magic right before our very eyes. It seems that we are spellbound as words are being used to change the way we view our country, and each other.
If we allow this pattern to continue, words will become meaningless, our laws will become unreliable, and our country will be further divided and separated.
We’re watching the illusion of the stage magician sawing his assistant in half.
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”
– Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
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