When words such as "fascist" and "racist" are thrown about simply to indicate disapproval/disagreement, what do you do when a genuine fascist or racist appears on the scene? (They do exist). You've been disarmed, at least linguistically. It's a bit similar to what happens at concerts these days. The performers automatically get a standing ovation no matter how mediocre they are. So you're left with no way to show your ecstasy at a genuinely great performance, the type that you'll only encounter four or five times in a lifetime of concert-going. Or the way the word "awesome" is bandied about. You have no way to indicate that something genuinely was awesome. SR |