Well. This certainly is another fine mess.

It seems that society as a whole has flunked a very important vocabulary test. The word of the day is “phobia.” We see it used repeatedly as a suffix to many other words such as xeno-, claustro-, and agora-.

The word actually means “a fear of.” So, in the examples above, xenophobia is a fear of foreigners; claustrophobia is a fear of small, enclosed spaces, and agoraphobia is a fear of crowds, public spaces or open areas.

But, in our tolerant (another word that no longer means what it used to) world, to be critical of anything has come to mean having a fear of it. So for example, if I were to criticize those who were from a foreign country, then I would be labeled as a xenophobe; if I belittled those who were afraid of small, enclosed spaces, then I would be labeled as a claustrophobe; and if I rolled my eyes at those who were afraid of crowds, then according to the new definition, I would be labeled as a agoraphobe. You get the idea.

This change in definition represents a dangerous shift. Not only are we stifling free speech and open debate on subjects that ought to be discussed, if only to help those who suffer from such maladies, but we are also attaching a damaging stigma to those who disagree with us. To do so is one short step to calling such people enemies of the state.