Summary
German lawmakers are debating whether to pursue a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), but many fear the move could backfire ahead of the Feb. 23 national election.
The proposal, backed by 124 lawmakers, seeks a court review of whether the AfD is unconstitutional.
Critics, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, warn a failed attempt could strengthen the party, which is polling at 20%.
The debate underscores concerns over the AfD’s extremism but also the risks of fueling its anti-establishment narrative.
That might be what people think the word means when they first hear it, but that doesn’t mean we should use it that way.
Well if you actually want to communicate with others outside of academia, you’re going to have to get used to attempting to understand people rather than constantly trying to “fix” them.
So we should just do away with definitions, and go with whatever people think a word means the first time they hear it? Why?
The point is that you have to make a good faith effort for communication to be possible, which you are not doing here. Language evolves organically, not by the dictate of a legally mandated authority.
When the “good faith effort” requires changing definitions, it’s not a good faith effort from the other side.
If one person or a few people have a definition wrong, that’s a thing that can be corrected.
If the majority of people think that’s the definition, and it’s been that way for decades, then you have the definition wrong.