late 14c., "poisonous substance" (a sense now archaic [on/by whose authority is that sense "archaic"?]), from Latin virus "poison, sap of plants, slimy liquid, a potent juice," from Proto-Italic *weis-o-(s-) "poison," which is probably from a PIE root *ueis-, perhaps originally meaning "to melt away, to flow," used of foul or malodorous fluids, but with specialization in some languages to "poisonous fluid" (source also of Sanskrit visam "venom, poison," visah "poisonous;" Avestan vish- "poison;" Latin viscum "sticky substance, birdlime;" Greek ios "poison," ixos "mistletoe, birdlime;" Old Church Slavonic višnja "cherry;" Old Irish fi "poison;" Welsh gwy "poison").
The meaning "agent that causes infectious disease" emerged by 1790s gradually out of the earlier use in reference to venereal disease (by 1728); the modern scientific use dates to the 1880s. The computer sense is from 1972 [These 2 meanings are invalid because they totally contradict the original meaning].
VIRUS (among Physicians) a kind of watery stinking Matter, which issues out of Ulcers, being endued with eating and malignant Qualities. [Bailey's dictionary, 1770] The study of these viruses is called toxinology. Why isn't it called VIROLOGY? http://dictionary.sensagent.com/Toxinology/en-en/
Using our strengths against their weaknesses or our advantages against their disadvantages seems to be a strategy worth pursuing.
It should be noted that there are just two primary ideologies - individualism and collectivism.
As author and engineer Robert A. Heinlein termed it:
“Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.”
The collectivists want people to be controlled, while the individualists have no such desire.
Individualism is based in liberty; collectivism is based in control - which isn’t a very good selling point - but collectivism gives them the advantage of being able to manipulate the language to fool people into societal slavery ‘You’ll own nothing, and you’ll like it’.
We have to use our advantages in that we are based in liberty and counteract their advantage in being able to lie with language.
I just call people patriots or Commies. I read your article https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/08/translating_fascism_from_leftistspeak_into_the_real_world.html when it 1st came out. You mentioned individualism & collectivism. Spot on. As long as the patriot base -MAGA, whoever, whatever people want to tag themselves as- don't think language (including etymology) & true history matter, things won't get better. I've read/heard great things put out by people who seem to love this country, then they put out idiocy like flat earth is real, history is fake, freemasonry, illuminutti, gematria, Jews are the cause of world problems & are the puppet masters, etc., etc.
America is teetering on the very edge of a deep pit (our potential grave) right now. People have been so dumbed down to hate, even fear, truth. GOOD sense went dormant early last century, so common sense reigns supreme. The sleople must be caused to face reality. The wonder, dream, & wish fantasy brainwashing we've been subjected to by/thru our educational, political, religious, & entertainment industries must be eradicated. How do you do that? How do we "reset" this miserable system we've allowed to take over?
They co-opted the word virus: virus (n.)
late 14c., "poisonous substance" (a sense now archaic [on/by whose authority is that sense "archaic"?]), from Latin virus "poison, sap of plants, slimy liquid, a potent juice," from Proto-Italic *weis-o-(s-) "poison," which is probably from a PIE root *ueis-, perhaps originally meaning "to melt away, to flow," used of foul or malodorous fluids, but with specialization in some languages to "poisonous fluid" (source also of Sanskrit visam "venom, poison," visah "poisonous;" Avestan vish- "poison;" Latin viscum "sticky substance, birdlime;" Greek ios "poison," ixos "mistletoe, birdlime;" Old Church Slavonic višnja "cherry;" Old Irish fi "poison;" Welsh gwy "poison").
The meaning "agent that causes infectious disease" emerged by 1790s gradually out of the earlier use in reference to venereal disease (by 1728); the modern scientific use dates to the 1880s. The computer sense is from 1972 [These 2 meanings are invalid because they totally contradict the original meaning].
VIRUS (among Physicians) a kind of watery stinking Matter, which issues out of Ulcers, being endued with eating and malignant Qualities. [Bailey's dictionary, 1770] The study of these viruses is called toxinology. Why isn't it called VIROLOGY? http://dictionary.sensagent.com/Toxinology/en-en/
I often find it interesting that words are the first thing that are attacked in Utopian societies.
Changing their meaning changes the discussion.
This is why the pro-freedom right needs to seriously consider this issue, the Anti-liberty left certainly does.
Using our strengths against their weaknesses or our advantages against their disadvantages seems to be a strategy worth pursuing.
It should be noted that there are just two primary ideologies - individualism and collectivism.
As author and engineer Robert A. Heinlein termed it:
“Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.”
The collectivists want people to be controlled, while the individualists have no such desire.
Individualism is based in liberty; collectivism is based in control - which isn’t a very good selling point - but collectivism gives them the advantage of being able to manipulate the language to fool people into societal slavery ‘You’ll own nothing, and you’ll like it’.
We have to use our advantages in that we are based in liberty and counteract their advantage in being able to lie with language.
I just call people patriots or Commies. I read your article https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/08/translating_fascism_from_leftistspeak_into_the_real_world.html when it 1st came out. You mentioned individualism & collectivism. Spot on. As long as the patriot base -MAGA, whoever, whatever people want to tag themselves as- don't think language (including etymology) & true history matter, things won't get better. I've read/heard great things put out by people who seem to love this country, then they put out idiocy like flat earth is real, history is fake, freemasonry, illuminutti, gematria, Jews are the cause of world problems & are the puppet masters, etc., etc.
America is teetering on the very edge of a deep pit (our potential grave) right now. People have been so dumbed down to hate, even fear, truth. GOOD sense went dormant early last century, so common sense reigns supreme. The sleople must be caused to face reality. The wonder, dream, & wish fantasy brainwashing we've been subjected to by/thru our educational, political, religious, & entertainment industries must be eradicated. How do you do that? How do we "reset" this miserable system we've allowed to take over?