Essay:Best New Conservative Words
Each year the English language develops about a thousand new words. Over the course of a century, that amounts to 100,000 new words. Since the King James Version of the Bible was published in 1611, perhaps a half a million new English words have been developed.
A small percentage of those new words are tremendously powerful. Here are some examples developed since the King James Version was published:
New Term | Origin date | Comments |
---|---|---|
accountability | 1794 | |
affirmative action | 1965 | |
American dream | 1911 (OED)[1] | |
bailout | 1951 | The verbal form to bail out (in a figurative sense, which is meant here) dates from the 1580s. The literal sense is somewhat earlier. [2] |
bork | 1988 | coined by William Safire to refer to how Democrats savage a conservative nominee, such as their defeat of Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork. |
bureaucracy | 1818 | |
competitive | 1829 | |
conservative | 1831 | |
contest | 1603 | bring an action to law (verb) |
copyright | 1735 | extending private property to protect expressive works |
culture war | 1991 | widespread use after the book Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America by James Davison Hunter |
defacto | 1689 | exercising power as if legally constituted. [3] |
demagogue | 1648 | |
deregulation | 1963 | Reagan won in 1980 by campaigning on this. |
design by committee | before 1958 | Pejorative directed against collective production by a group |
deterrence | 1861 | |
dumb down | 1933 | |
efficiency | 1633 | Ultimately from the Latin efficientem, meaning "working out, or accomplishing"[4] |
elitism | 1950 | |
entitlement | 1944 | |
family values | 1916 | widespread use after a speech by Vice President Dan Quayle, 1992 |
Fellow traveller | 1925 | May have existed earlier, but popularized in 1924 by Trotsky. Describes a sympathizer of a cause but who does not formally belong to the cause, such as a communist sympathizer who is not part of the communist party. |
foment | 1613 | the growth and development of |
free enterprise | 1820 | |
free world | 1949 | areas of the world free of communism |
go-getter | 1921 | |
Good Samaritan | 1640 | how genuine charity is the best approach; |
grade inflation | 1975 | the tendency by Liberal educationalists and public schools to increase marks, irrespective of merit or actual achievement. |
grassroots | 1901 | |
homeschool | 1980[5] | |
incandescent | 1794 | bright and radiant, conquering darkness, precursor to the invention of the incandescent lamp (light bulb) |
interventionism | 1923 | "governmental interference in economic affairs at home or in political affairs of another country"[6] |
invisible hand | 1776 | Coined by Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations and widely used today, yet Merriam-Webster fails to recognize it![7] |
judicial activism | 1947 | First coined in an article in Fortune magazine by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.,[8] and repeatedly used in U.S. Supreme Court opinions since 1967,[9] yet as of 2009 Merriam-Webster dictionary still fails to recognize this widely used term. |
junk science | 1962[10] | the corruption of the scientific method to advance other goals |
jury nullification | 1700s | the power of a jury to overrule the law and acquit an ostensibly guilty defendant; first established in colonies in 1735 in the trial of John Peter Zenger |
hysteria | 1801 | From the Latin hystericus, from Greek hystera meaning "womb"[11] (an old notion that hysteria was caused by the womb). |
microeconomics | 1947 | the study of the economics of the individual person or business |
meritocracy | 1958 | |
me-too | 1881 | |
mobocracy | 1754 | rule by a mob, as at Wikipedia |
opportunity cost | 1911 | |
parenting | 1958 | Children raising |
patriotism | 1726 | |
personhood [12] | 1955 | Inherent rights guaranteed to all human beings from the beginning of their biological development, including the pre-born, partially born. Also, the state or fact of being a person. |
phonics | 1684 | |
politically correct | 1983 | This term originated at the liberal University of Madison-Wisconsin to enforce liberal orthodoxy, but immediately flipped in usage to become a term of mockery of liberals.[13] |
potential | 1817[14] | |
privatize | 1940 | to return a business or enterprise from state to private control; to de-nationalize. |
productive | 1612 | |
pro-life | 1960 | |
property right | 1853 | |
responsibility | 1737 | 1787 HAMILTON Federalist No. 63 II. 193 Responsibility in order to be reasonable must be limited to objects within the power of the responsible party. |
self-defense | 1651 | |
self-discipline | 1838 | |
self-indulgence | 1753 | |
self-reliant | 1848 | |
spend-and-tax | 2009[15] | a variation on "tax-and-spend" (see below), "spend-and-tax" consists of spending the money first and then trying to justify raising taxes based on the deficit created by the spending |
tax-and-spend | late 1900s | Not yet recognized by Merriam-Webster, it is included in dictionary.com and it means the liberal policy of raising taxes and increasing government spending |
trademark | 1838 | extends the concept of private property to the marks used by business |
victimization | 1840 | |
wannabee | 1981 | the third most recent entry; a word that criticizes liberal status worship |
War on Terror | 2001 | no listing at Merriam-Webster, Encyclopedia.com has an anti-American version [16] February 2, 2009 Obama ends use of the conservative lexicon. [17] |
worldview | 1858 | a comprehensive way of looking at life and the world; sometimes used to criticize a liberal's irrational belief system |
Contents
Rate of Generation of Conservative Terms
The rate of generation of conservative terms is increasing:
Century | # New Conservative Terms |
---|---|
1600s | 8 |
1700s | 10 |
1800s | 14 |
1900s | 24 |
2000s | 2 |
Conservative Words Not Yet Recognized by the Dictionary
A thousand new words are developed in English each year. Here is a growing list of conservative concepts, each of which is not yet defined by a single word or two.
Not Yet Recognized Terms | Suggestions | Comments |
---|---|---|
Unaffected by, or impervious to, the media | mediaproof | cf. bulletproof. Once John became aware of the extent of liberal deceit, he set about mediaproofing his mind. |
easily amused by deceit | dolophile | from Greek/Latin root dolo- meaning guile, deceit, deception [1] |
the opposite of materialism | spiritualism and idealism have been its philosophical opposites, historically | dualism has been suggested, but it is not the opposite of materialism; "spiritualism" is not a common term and is the "opposite" of materialism |
runaway jury | The term has existed for decades, but Merriam-Webster has not recognized it yet. | |
second-generation atheist | cradle atheist | |
denial that Hell exists | Hell-denier? Antinfernal? | |
deliberate ignorance | the term exists; the dictionary does not yet include it | |
proven wrong, a refusal to admit it | mulism; heel-digger? | cf. mulish. This refusal is what promoted the Parable of the Good Samaritan. |
term limits | can you believe this is not in the dictionary yet? Merriam-Webster omits it, but dictionary.com includes it with an origin date of 1861[2] | |
illegal alien | widely used in court decisions and political discourse for years, Merriam-Webster still does not recognize it is as a term. | |
strict constructionism | an important term for over 200 years to describe adherence to the text of the Constitution, Merriam-Webster still does not recognize it. | |
denier of the effectiveness of abstinence | abstinence-denier? | |
anti-family | tradition opposer, familiopathic | |
militant gays | intimidating homosexual | |
causing harm by spreading falsehoods | e.g., denying or concealing disease and infertility caused by promiscuity | |
peer pressure | can you believe that isn't recognized by Merriam-Webster? | |
modern idolatry | "media idolatry"; "money idolatry"; "celebrity idolatry" | idolatry conjures images of golden calves, and a modern version is needed |
dramacast | tabloid news | mainstream media presents drama fluff stories as news, e.g. 20/20 - Dateline |
schlockumentary | propaganda film | documentary films based falsehoods and half-truths |
New Liberal Terms
New liberal words often have deceptive, or nonsensical, meanings. Here are some new words created by liberals to combat conservatism:
New Term | Origin date | Comments |
---|---|---|
atheist | 1571 | |
"Big Bang" | 1948 | term invented by the leading British physicist Sir Fred Hoyle to mock this suggestion of how the universe was formed |
bilingual education | 1972 | a euphemism describing a costly and hurtful program that hinders the learning of English by foreign-born children in American public schools, which hurts their future opportunities |
carbon footprint | 1999[18] | term indicates an individual human's effect on the environment by production of carbon dioxide |
class warfare | first entered the political lexicon primarily as an attack by liberals against conservatives. [19] | |
communism | 1840 | |
compassion fatigue | 1968 | Liberals, driven by materialistic self-interest, are likely to suffer from this. |
condescension | 1647 | |
Dark Ages | 1730 | A term coined in the so-called enlightenment to disparage the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and c.1000, when the Christian faith, and its learning and culture, spread across Europe. |
dead white males | a disparaging term used of significant figures from previous generations by those who wish to undermine cultural literacy | |
detente | 1970s | A euphemism referring to pacifist policy re. the Soviet Union |
distributive justice | A term used to redefine socialist abridgment of rights as "just" | |
enlightenment | 1669 | |
environmentalism | 1922 | a mixture of pseudoscience and neo-paganism used to justify the imposition of socialistic controls. |
freethinker | 1692 | the euphemism "free" hides the hostility towards faith, which is not free |
fundamentalism | 1922 | "a movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching"[20] From a series of pamphlets called "The Fundamentals" which outlined the movement. Perjorative usage started when the liberal Harry Emerson Fosdick began using the term in a straw man attack against Conservative Christianity. |
feminism | 1895 | notionally, "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes"; in reality, the attempt to destroy traditional family, societal and religious values by erasing or undermining natural gender differences. |
gay rights | 1969 | The movement for civil rights for homosexuals |
glass ceiling | 1984 | the notion that an invisible barrier prevents women and ethnic minorities from reaching high office; an excuse for feminists and others to demand affirmative action |
global warming | 1969 | The baseless environmentalist mantra that the earth's temperature is rising, and that human intervention is the cause. |
homophobia | 1969 | used by Liberals to describe a failure to subscribe 100% to the homosexual agenda. |
humanism | 1808 [21] | |
imperialism | 1851 | a clever term later used by liberals to interfere with Christian missionaries and stopping anti-Christian tyranny |
isolationism | 1922 | a pejorative term that is critical of American politicians putting America first in priorities |
Keynesianism | 1946 | advocacy of 'tax and spend' policies as elaborated by the economist John Maynard Keynes; a euphemism for back-door Socialism. |
Living Constitution | 2000 | a continually evolving Constitution (first used by presidential candidate Al Gore, title of a 1936 book by Howard McBain) |
moderate | late 1900s | the original term dates from the French Revolution, but its meaning today is a euphemism for someone who favors abortion and/or supports censorship of Christianity in some ways |
nationalize | 1800 | a euphemism for the government taking over ownership and control of a large company or entire industry, as in socialism |
natural selection | 1857 | a misleading and euphemistic term for the theory that genetic advantages and conflict dictate survival |
politically correct | 1936 | According to some sources, the term originally comes from Chairman Mao |
population control | 1968 | the issue of population dates back to Confucius. Liberals promoted the term after the book The Population Bomb by Paul R. Ehrlich |
pro-choice | 1975 | a euphemism for insisting on taxpayer-funded abortion; people who claim to be pro-choice typically oppose informed choice, which makes the "choice" meaningless |
progressivism | 1892 | the progressive movement was not entirely liberal; it was started by a Republican and shared some goals with conservatives, and still does |
quote mining | non-existent | a term used by evolutionists to describe taking quotes out of context in order to damage the position of the quoted party. |
racism | If you don't support Barack Obama, you are guilty of.... | |
sexism | 1968 | That which is practiced by those who do not give total support to feminism. |
situation ethics | 1955 | a euphemism for denying fixed ethical standards |
strict liability | 1869 | court-imposed liability even when there is no evidence of any fault by the defendant |
Swift-Boating | 2004 | Allegations of unfair campaign tactics. |
undocumented immigrant | 2000 | a politically correct replacement for illegal alien. |
unfair | 1700 | |
union shop | 1904 | |
unitarian | 1687 |
Rate of Generation of Liberal Terms
The rate of generation of liberal terms is increasing:
Century | # New Liberal Terms |
---|---|
1600s | 4 |
1700s | 2 |
1800s | 8 |
1900s | 20 (6 in the 1960s) |
2000s | 3 |
New Terms Difficult to Classify
These new terms are difficult to classify:
twilight zone | 1949 | the realm of imagination that seems impossible but is difficult to disprove, and which challenges ordinary views of reality |
Downgraded Conservative Terms
These conservative terms are less significant:
byzantine | 1794[22] | |
entropy | 1868 | |
Luddite | 1811 | one who opposes and even destroys technological advances |
filibuster | 1851 | |
media | 1923 | |
milquetoast | 1933 | |
normalcy | 1920 | related to the election of Warren G. Harding by the largest margin yet in history |
Sources
References
- ↑ OED refers to the Oxford English Dictionary. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives a date of 1931.
- ↑ OED, bail, v1
- ↑ [2 Defacto] Merriam-Webster
- ↑ Online Etymological Dictionary
- ↑ The OED assigns a date of origin of 1850 to "homeschool".
- ↑ Merriam-Webster (1994).
- ↑ This term is absent from the 1994 print edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary
- ↑ http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/278089
- ↑ United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218 (1967).
- ↑ http://rated.com/dir/Society/Issues/Environment/Opposing_Views/Junk_Science
- ↑ Meriam Webster Dictionary
- ↑ Personhood Dictionary.com
- ↑ But see 1793 J. WILSON in U.S. Rep. (U.S. Supreme Court) 2 (1798) 462 Sentiments and expressions of this inaccurate kind prevail in our..language... ‘The United States’, instead of the ‘People of the United States’, is the toast given. This is not *politically correct
- ↑ Usage here refers to "promise", not "possibility".
- ↑ http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/02/morning-bell-the-obama-tax-and-spend-economy-is-here/
- ↑ war on terrorism Encyclopedia.com
- ↑ Obama administration drops 'war on terror' phrase Pew Forum, February 2, 2009
- ↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/carbon%20footprint
- ↑ The art of "class warfare", Ben Fritz, Spinsanity.org, January 15, 2003
- ↑ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fundamentalism
- ↑ http://newhumanist.org.uk/1740
- ↑ The usage here -- in sense of complex governmental rules -- probably developed later.