This reminds me a little of Thomas Sowell’s essay “Verbal Inflation” from his book “The Vision of the Anointed.” He makes similar points about misused words becoming less meaningful, but does it in the context of politics. His primary focus, however, is inflationary terms as a means of dishonest rhetoric, rather than as a common mistake people innocently make.
This reminds me a little of Thomas Sowell’s essay “Verbal Inflation” from his book “The Vision of the Anointed.” He makes similar points about misused words becoming less meaningful, but does it in the context of politics. His primary focus, however, is inflationary terms as a means of dishonest rhetoric, rather than as a common mistake people innocently make.
In some contexts the ‘innocent mistake’ is dishonest rhetoric in it’s most pernicious, reflexive form.
You mean like “freedom” and “job creators”?