What is Vocabulary Hijacking?
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Choosing a word because it evokes a specific emotion rather than because it is accurate.
After 9/11 the word "terrorism" became a much more emotional term for Americans than before, when it was equally deplorable yet much more theoretical in most people's minds (i.e. something that happens elsewhere). Consequently, politically active people engaged in vocabulary hijacking by applying the term "terrorist" to their opponent's activities (e.g. environmental "terrorists", government-sponsored "terrorists", anti-choice "terrorists").
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Random Words:
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An American sitcom starring John Ritter most popular before his untimely passing in 2003. ran from 2002 to 2005 on the ABC in America, A..
