When we write something we usually assume that when others, or even us, read it they will understand the words we use the same way we did when we originally wrote them. This of course is based on our collective agreement that each word has certain meaning or a narrow range of meanings within the context in which it was written. That is why we have dictionaries and other Language-usage references.
Enter Politics, Debates, and now Blogging and it seems that all that collective understanding is thrown out of the window. Everyone, it seems, have their own understanding which is usually derived from their own intellectual, social, or political inclinations. That is when we start down the road to marginalizing everything in sight. and once we marginalize ideas, words, issues or principals there is no more room for logic.
Logic depends on a fairly consistent meaning for the words we use. Once this is compromised, there is no way to have any meaningful Reality-Based Debates, Policies, and now Blogging.
When someone is shot while involved in armed robbery, what do you call him? a victim?a criminal?should there be a confusion in that?
When someone is shot while helping an invader of his own country, what do you call him?a victim?a rebel?a triator?an activist? should there be a confusion in that?and should the difinition change if you were the invader?
Am I free to define that? does anyone? or is it the dictionary?
And if you use the dictionary's definition but someone else didn't like that definition and he asks for your head or at least your tongue to be cut off, what do you call that? any suggestions?
Just wondering ......