The word “partisan” comes from variants of words for separation or apartness. But it doesn’t refer to individuality or critical thinking. Partisans are usually shackled to an idea that is the opposite of individuality, responsibility, or critical thinking.
Category: Words Poorly Used
Words Poorly Used #145 — Conservative
Why so much agita over whom belongs under the label of conservative? By her very nature, a member of the human species is conservative. And furthermore, drone or pirate, he is a principled conservative.
Words Poorly Used #144 — Emolument
Arcane words, those wearing dated but courtly finery, are difficult to process, but especially so when they are pounded into the Constitution, like a round peg into a square hole. These are odd interlopers of unfamiliar mien.
Words Poorly Used #143 — Nation
According to Reason’s online publication, Benjamin Franklin once said, “No nation was ever ruined by trade.” Then a Facebook friend and I engaged in an amicable dispute about Franklin’s intent relative to the word “nation.” My friend said it was a stand-in for “government.” I responded.
Words Poorly Used #142 — Loyalist
A few days ago, I sent out a Facebook Friend Request to a person who had over 750 friends in common with me. This person politely replied that we could not be friends since he was a “Trump Loyalist,” so he feared I would be offended by his posts. Such offense would have been a certainty, but I was offended already by the language of the phrase, “Trump Loyalist.” But let us be clear, the utmost problem is not Trumpism — it’s loyalism of any sort.
Words Poorly Used #141 — Leviathan
“In debates between anarchists and statists, the burden of proof clearly should rest on those who place their trust in the state. Anarchy’s mayhem is wholly conjectural; the state’s mayhem is undeniably, factually horrendous.”
Words Poorly Used #140 — Corporatism
In its worst misuse, “corporatism” is given as a synonym for capitalism. Corporatism is made of fictions, while capitalism is a natural economic occurrence. Corporatism is the case where statism is used to control purely natural market activities. When well-meaning people complain about the excesses of capitalism, they are usually resenting the dodging of responsibility, legislatively by the state-licensed corporation or illegally by the marauder.
Words Poorly Used #139 — Complexity
Complexity is an ambiguous word covering any combination. It is a minefield. It is the stuff of unforeseen consequences. The user of the word can stretch its meaning to post-describe any set of relationships.
Words Poorly Used #138 — Collusion
Rudy is right, collusion is not a crime. One can collude in planning a surprise birthday party. Such collusion is only a crime if the birthday party is illegal and if it actually takes place. Even then, collusion is only a compounding element.
Words Poorly Used #137 — Argument
In a discussion the other day, a friend asked me to pretend that I was doing a performance review on POTUS. His argument was based on that premise, and the subarguments were 1) POTUS is a CEO, 2) the “economy” is “good,” and 3) there are “jobs.” I refused to take the bait. Ayn Rand would have been proud of me because I considered the premises.