The linguistic pathway for evil

Libellous hyperbole isn't merely a grotesque attack on individuals

The Calumny of Apeles; Sandro Botticelli, 1495

One element of our culture of coerced conformity is the hijacking of language and the substitution of meaning by propaganda. Words are increasingly misused to manufacture insult, abuse or character assassination in order to manipulate, distort or silence public discussion.

For example, there’s currently much…