In light of Chris' "cost" vs. "saved" post, this Freeman article discusses the importance of word choice when it comes to public debate.
Take the word “generous.” When I think of someone being generous, I think of the dictionary definition: magnanimous, kindly. But the term is often used to describe government programs that forcibly take money from some people and give it to others. Where is the generosity? Certainly not in the government’s treatment of those whose wealth it takes. Perhaps, then, the government is being generous in the size of these forcible transfers. But that’s not really generosity either. How can a government official be magnanimous with money that’s not his own?
Read the whole thing. The left has mastered this art and continues to shift debate onto their playing field through the effective use of well-chosen words – words that intentionally distort the discussion and force their political opponents onto the defensive.
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