Lots of good points. I think vagueness is also a related explanation for overworking “post-“.
So much of our political discourse appears to be, by design, vague - when we usually hear Nazi or fascist, we are meant to hear authoritarian or totalitarian. Liberal, without the prefix classical, has a nebulous meaning . . don’t hear conservative, so much, maybe because its meaning is still too clear. Interesting how, at least to me, “post-Fascist” has negative connotations, while “post-communism” sounds new and improved.
I’m surprised that we haven’t been taunted yet with “post-post-communism / modernism / liberalism”; or perhaps post-neo-democracy.
Language has become a tool to control the agenda. We have to be vigilant in our use of language and make sure we know what we think and how to express it clearly. There are much misused words that I never use because the people using them have stolen the meaning and used them to manipulate people. Post anything has joined them.
Let’s get rid of “neo” while we’re at it.
Lots of good points. I think vagueness is also a related explanation for overworking “post-“.
So much of our political discourse appears to be, by design, vague - when we usually hear Nazi or fascist, we are meant to hear authoritarian or totalitarian. Liberal, without the prefix classical, has a nebulous meaning . . don’t hear conservative, so much, maybe because its meaning is still too clear. Interesting how, at least to me, “post-Fascist” has negative connotations, while “post-communism” sounds new and improved.
I’m surprised that we haven’t been taunted yet with “post-post-communism / modernism / liberalism”; or perhaps post-neo-democracy.
Language has become a tool to control the agenda. We have to be vigilant in our use of language and make sure we know what we think and how to express it clearly. There are much misused words that I never use because the people using them have stolen the meaning and used them to manipulate people. Post anything has joined them.
This a post post post.