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[–]filbs111 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

1984 was supposed to be a warning, not an instruction manual. It used to be (i think) that dictionaries described the way in which words are used. Now it seems dictionaries are run by activists who change words to influence how people use words.

Is there a revision history for dictionaries? They also changed "racism" recently. Keep tabs on

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/female

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woman

I don't mind so much when people add extra definitions to words. The really bad thing to look out for is removing the old ones. Words are pointers to concepts. Remove the words, you remove the ability for people to think and communicate about those concepts. Of course, this is what they want.

[–]filbs111 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Another thing you do by redefining words is causing people to misinterpret things others have already said. For example, someone makes a women's sports league. They write in the rules that only women can play. Someone redefines the word, and anyone that says that they're a woman can play, because it says so in the dictionary.

[–]Middx 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Exactly. That's the crux of the battle to prevent transwomen being called women.