The Term “Respectâ€
It bothers me that over time, the meaning of words changes for the worse. Take “respectâ€, for example. It used to mean deserved admiration—but it had to be deserved. Now, apparently, you can get respect by shooting someone in a gang war. If you really want war and suffering that badly, join the military. Or are you afraid to get respect the hard way?
Comments
That was really a bad example. Gang members earn the respect of their peers by killing rival gang members. It's not a contradiction or a misuse of the term. It's just an unfortunate truth.