• loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    “Degenerate” is a word that has been used by many people in many contexts both before and after nazis were in power. It’s the privative prefix “de-” + the latin root for creation/birth. Broadly speaking, it just means someone or something altered over time in a way that they no longer function properly. I see how it can be used in a way that aligns with nazi ideology, but that’s not all it can be used for, or how it’s used here.

    • TrismegistusMx@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Degeneracy is the core ideology behind every genocide. You accuse me of not understanding language shift. I say you don’t understand the overton window.

      • loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        This is like saying “Everyone who’s ever called for genocide described their targets as bad people, therefore calling someone a bad person is genocidal ideology”. The word “degenerate”:

        • Doesn’t originate in genocidal ideology
        • Doesn’t have an intrinsically genocidal meaning
        • Has continuously been used in non-political contexts.

        If we keep banning every word of the dictionary that a nazi has ever used, fascists will end up the only ones able to talk…