Definition of euphemism: A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. The English language is roughly 50% Germanic, 40% Latin and 10% Greek. “Euphemism” is Greek, “Eu” meaning good, and “phemos” meaning sound. Thus, a euphemism … sounds good.
We immediately find a similar word, which is a perfect euphemism, in “euthanasia,” meaning “good death.” A so-called “good death” ought to be an event where someone dies at peace — with God, with their family. Maybe having done their duty courageously as a soldier, violent as it might have been.
But instead, “euthanasia” is a euphemism, stealing from God his sole prerogative as the Lord and Giver of life. It is bad enough to steal from our fellow man, but when we steal from God … well, God have mercy on us.
Human nature being fallen wants to manufacture a make-believe universe about things that are evil or unpleasant.
In our culture today, euphemisms reign supreme. It means we are in denial. And “denial” is basically a lie. And when it comes to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, they are the perfect trifecta of what Jesus told us about the demonic world:
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. — John 8:44.
Here are some of the euphemisms we have become accustomed to in my own lifetime, with the harsh reality of what they really mean. Comedian George Carlin goes to hilarious lengths explaining this.
It is comedic because, well, telling the truth is so rare that we laugh at ourselves for enjoying the sweeter lies, which have become commonplace. Some of the words are still used in their innocent context, but understanding them that way depends upon how they are used in a sentence.
Both liberals and conservatives have used them:
— Euphemism: Police action – Reality: “undeclared war”
— Euphemism: Collateral damage – Reality: “death of innocent civilians”
— Euphemism: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – Reality: “shell-shock or battle fatigue”
— Euphemism: Product of conception – Reality: “Mangled unborn baby”
— Euphemism: Gender-affirming care for minors – Reality: “mutilation and sterilization of children”
— Euphemism: Gay – Reality: “homosexual”
— Euphemism: Termination of pregnancy – Reality: “abortion”
— Euphemism: Put the dog to sleep – Reality: “chemical painless death”
— Euphemism: Street person – Reality: “homeless beggar”
— Euphemism: Liquidate – Reality: “political murder”
— Euphemism: The Big A – Reality: “adultery”
— Euphemism: Let go – Reality: “fired from job”
The list is endless, of course.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Perhaps euphemisms have their place, in front of children or when in polite society. However, when we make them a constant crutch for ugly truths that we tolerate, it becomes a surrender to hiding evil. After a while, we don’t even think of them as euphemisms, but are an automatic part of our cultural terminology.
And yet, euphemisms are evil’s “tip-o-the-hat” to what is good, beautiful and true. There is nothing wrong with “feeling gay,” as the lyrics of many an old song would attest. A sleeping dog is just fine. St. Joseph is the patron of a happy death. A police action can nab a criminal. We can liquidate an estate, or a smoothie in a blender. The Big A might mean a good grade in a test. A normal delivery of a baby terminates a pregnancy.
Human nature being fallen wants to manufacture a make-believe universe about things that are evil or unpleasant. We would do well in our own lives to struggle with making corrections, the correction of which will, of course, be a decision left to each of us.
The views expressed here are those of the author.
4 Comments
Even the word “abortion” is a euphemism. It is a medical term. The reality is infanticide in the womb.
How Many Time You Lost This Droid Chance… If you wana get a reasonable profits thru computer and if you have a dependable internet connection then you definitely ought to be able to recognize how you’re making your earnings via pc.
This is quite simple to understand simply vist my website___Www.HighProfit1.com
Language is important. I’ve often thought that if we encourage the use of accurate language, we might make some progress in eliminating abortion. Instead of, ‘decided to terminate’, ‘she had an abortion because the time wasn’t right’, ‘she decided to not keep the baby’, we said ‘she decided to kill the baby’ for whatever reason, the horror of the act would be placed out in the open.
For hundreds of years the written matter of announcing deaths, the obituary, gave name, age, date of death and brief description of facts of cause, etc. That matter-of-fact approach has been removed and replaced by the ever-lofty phrase “He passed away…”
As if the person floated across the horizon in front of us until gently no longer in view. Our language– our culture, is reduced each day by redefinitions, by utterly wrong word usage (example using “loose” while meaning “lose” in a sentence), by gross mis-spellings of mostly 4th grade words, and of course failing grammar, punctuation, and word tenses. It seems that wokeness has promulgated this deterioration of our culture and with it, the most vulnerable to it— the unaware, the illiterate, and most easily deceived drift away a little bit further.