Comment on billionaires are a cancer on society [literally]
tate@lemmy.sdf.org 5 weeks ago“Billionaires are literally cancer” is simply a false statement, unless “literally” was used, incorrectly, as hyperbole.
That is my point. Literally can be used correctly in a statement that is not correct, and my reading of the original post is that was OP’s intention. They did not misuse the word “literally.”
I’m not debating the meaning of the word cancer.
Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 5 weeks ago
So, billionaires are not “literally” cancer, but “billionaires are literally cancer” is supposedly a correct use of “literally”?
“Literally” was not correctly used in this sentence. As used in the sentence, “literally” is synonymous with “figuratively”, which is an incorrect useage of “literally”.
tate@lemmy.sdf.org 5 weeks ago
Sorry for the multiple replies btw. My app is acting weird.
tate@lemmy.sdf.org 5 weeks ago
Correct. But that is not what OP said. Read it again and I think you will see that OP is saying that “Billionaires are cancer” is not a figurative statement at all, but a literal one. You can disagree with them (I do, btw), but they have not misused the word “literally.”
Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 5 weeks ago
It is a metaphorical statement rather than a simile, but both metaphors and similes are figurative, not literal.
tate@lemmy.sdf.org 5 weeks ago
You are refuting an argument that I did not make.
I enjoy this type of debate, but this one doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. I’m moving on. Thank you, sincerely.