Blog #48 - The Weaponization of Words

If we accept that language is this maleable, we must deal with the weaponization of words.

With the exhausting, political polarization happening all over the world there is something feeding the fire that is rarely talked about.

There is certainly some very concerning political actions taking place that have stirred the pot but most of the political and culture war is a war of words.

It doesn't really matter which side you imagine yourself to be on, the fact is we have all weaponized words.

As a songwriter and a bit of a poetry nerd, I love words and language. The ability to communicate thoughts and feelings in detail is an absolutely beautiful thing that we all take for granted. While I love abstract expression, I also try to speak very clearly and use words as literally as I can to avoid misunderstanding.

With the degradation of our education system, I've noticed a dumbing down of the language used by people on a day to day. It's not just an issue of modern slang or cultural differences, there has been a concerning shift in the use of language in professional and political issues.

If we accept that language is this malleable, we must deal with the weaponization of words.

Not very long ago, we all understood very clearly what a "Nazi" was. However, according to many people on the politically left, the people with opposing views are "Nazis". Anyone with any sense knows the difference but there are words like this that are having their meaning changed simply because of their common misuse.

If we continue to misuse our language, we open ourselves up to worse and worse misunderstanding and conflict.

While the political tribalism is bad enough, a much more serious issue is that the degradation of language will make it much more difficult to understand our Bible. There are already several misunderstandings about the Bible that a better understanding of language would prevent but if the trend continues, will anyone, ever, be able to read a King James version?

Words are powerful and beautiful. They bring us together, they motivate us, they help us know who our Lord and Savior is. We need to maintain our language and learn to be intentional with our words.