manifold
Diamond Member
- Banned
- #1
In the never ending war of word manipulation between the right and left, both sides have landed some monumental victories. Consider the vilification of the word "liberal" for example. That one has been paying dividends to the right for decades now. But the left has scored a D-Day like victory with the widespread adoption of words suffixed with "phobia" (or phobe) that are in fact not phobias at all. The term phobia connotes two very specific characteristics. First, that it is a mental disorder. All true clinical phobias are in fact mental disorders. And second, that it is irrational. And with the exception a minority fringe element, few people labeled with political phobias actually qualify as having a mental disorder marked by irrational fear. Take "Islamophobia" for example. Anyone who expresses any concern whatsoever about the spread of Islam is labeled an Islamophobe. History has shown what happens when any religion becomes the law of the land, and it's never been good. Being concerned about this is quite sane and far from irrational. Yet the term is often used and widely accepted, implying that anyone who dares to express concern about the spread of Islam has a mental disorder. So in this particular battle in the larger war of word manipulation, well done liberals, well done.
So what other "phobias" can you think of that aren't actually phobias?
So what other "phobias" can you think of that aren't actually phobias?