Kolanaki@pawb.social 11 hours ago
Generally, the people who claim the meaning has changed or been watered down are fascists or their sympathizers or prescriptivists that fail to understand how language evolves. Watch them come out of the woodwork to explain how nobody is a nazi because the National Socialist party doesn’t exist anymore. Buncha stupid fucking bastards.
Bennyboybumberchums@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
But it has been watered down. Its been watered down by all the culture war weirdos who claim everyone who doesnt agree with them, is a nazi and fascist. And its not just the left aiming at the right, its fucking everyone. Dont like video game? You must be a fascist. Dont like a movie? You must be a nazi!
Its like “paedo”. That one lost all meaning as well. Even going so far as to label dating 25 year olds “paedo behaviour”. Social media, if it does nothing else, totally ruins the meaning of words in favour of gaining worthless internet up arrows by saying popular thing over and over and over and over again.
Ancalagon@lemmy.world 10 hours ago
For the first: those are just idiots being idiots. The word isn’t watered down by idiots usage. The word still means the same things. It just means the population around you that believes this is fascist adjacent and an idiot.
Again hard disagree. It still means diddling kids. There just more idiots around and are more vocal.
Jasperthewolf748@pawb.social 5 hours ago
Well it’s like the word racist, it still has its connotation, but since it’s been overused so much it loses a lot of the impact that word originally had.
The other thing watering it down does is make it easier for actual racists, fascists or paedos to be more open about it and openly embrace it. After all, if an entire group is calling you a racist for multiple years, why not embrace that term?
Bennyboybumberchums@lemmy.world 10 hours ago
A word is watered down when it is used to describe anything and everything. And in case you missed it, we are surrounded by idiots being idiots and doing just that.