"The Verbicide Collection"

[TTL News 308]

Per a suggestion made in a comment to a recent Guest Writer column, we're going to start a collection of what could be considered a distortion of our language, a "softening" or repurposing to suit someone's needs or make someone feel special. 

An example in the original post would be something like this:

Quote

 

‘Racism’

Originally, racism meant a skin-color-based prejudice or bigotry directed by one person or group whose skin was a different shade than the target’s.

Today, however, many argue that only white people qualify as racists. White people are demonized as such solely on the basis of their skin color. Without the slightest hint of irony, racist writers and speakers rail incessantly against the evils of “white privilege” and “whiteness.”

 

Source

Can you think of any words whose meanings have been altered in similar fashion?

 

[MsKreed 1,186]

I’m not sure about other states, but in New York State the prison system regularly changes terminology.

I suppose it started with “reformatories” and “penitentiaries” becoming “prisons” and then “correctional facilities”.  I have no idea when (or why) “wardens” became “superintendents” or who decided that “prison guard” was insulting and needed to called “correctional officers”.

And then there is the evolution of “convict” (short for the perfectly clear and accurate “convicted felon”, since they had clearly been convicted of a felony - duh). By the 80s or 90s, that was unacceptable and was changed to “inmate”.  Not only did it involve editing every single document, blank form, database and directive that was used in a prison ....um Correctional Facility......staff could face disciplinary action for using the “old” language.

The 2000’s saw another change from “inmate” to “offender” (no longer convicted of a felony, they had just committed an offense, I guess?). Many of the “offenders” themselves took exception to the new label....as it seemed too similar to the already common “sex offender” title that had replaced distasteful descriptions like “rapist” and “child molester”. 

So, in spite of all the thousands of documents, blank forms, databases and directives that were revised to replace “inmate” with “offender”....the word “inmate” was still the preferred term. However, the Verbicide continues..... and the revision process started all over in 2022 when they were renamed “incarcerated individuals” because the term inmate is "dehumanizing".

Sorry....having been convicted of felonies, they are still convicts.