After reading LaFeminista's diary on the new meanings assigned to some rather time tested words, I thought it important to explain words. They're pretty central to virtually all discussions, so perhaps a better understanding of them may, or may not, help you in your daily life.
Below, you'll find a breif history of words. Some more words about why words are important, then yet more words, that might explain why they're so damn dangerous.
Throughout the history of mankind, it's greatest invention would have to be words. The genius who invented the wheel could hardly have explained his great invention to the stupid people around him without words. We really don't know much about the actual invention of words, because when they were invented, they didn't think to write them down, and put that in a safe place, for future reference.
The concept is pretty simple; for every object, action, or things we think up, a word is assigned to them. They are assembled in societies, and are different all over the world. There's a book that says this is because some great, cosmological old guy got really pissed off about a tower, and made the tower builders speak different languages. While it's an incredibly simple explanation, I'm not buying it. Some things are so important, we give them more than one word. Other's are just so cool, they have multiple meanings, and uses. An excellent example of this, would be "That fucking jerk. Who the fuck does he think he is?" "We should fuck him up." "Nah, fuck him."
What's so important about words, you ask? They are the way we understand the things around us. One of the most important aspects of words, is that they mean the same thing, and evoke the desired response in the recipient of the word. Imagine a hunter-gatherer, picking up some branches for the community fire. A fellow clansmen sees this twig collector being stalked by a tiger, and screams out "Growedkitty!" While trying to understand what the screamer meant by this, the communication breakdown proves fatal.
And this brings us to the dangerous aspects of words. Take for instance the above example of the combustible amasser, and the inventive linguist warning him of the dangerous tiger. There could be multiple reasons for creating a new word, both good and bad. It could be that the word inventor meant to combine "tiger," with, "it's really big, and right behind you." But a thinking pre-civilization inhabitant could easily dismiss this argument, as the word tiger itself is quite sufficient, given what tigers are, and what they do. The argument that he didn't want to unduely frighten the avid arborist, would also be suspect, in that frightening him out of his woody funk is the exact reason to scream tiger in the first place. It would appear that a new word, or set of them for an existing one, are done solely for the benefit of the re-definer, and not the community as a whole.
So, the next time somebody uses words or phrases to you like 'socialist,' or 'enhanced interrogation,' or 'preventative detention,' or 'atheist,' take note. If you see them about to be run over by a text messaging train engineer, just scream out "Textineer!"
By the time they figure out this new word, and why you invented it, it'll be too late to do anything about it. Which might be the case for all of us now.
Ban guns? They're not anywhere near as dangerous as words. Perhaps we should ban them as well.