When words become weapons

Words used to be how we communicated truth. Now they’re being twisted into weapons – used not to describe reality, but to shape and distort it. Redefinitions, rebranding, and outright manipulations of meaning are becoming the norm. And we’re all meant to play along.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about sloppy language. It’s about changing the rules mid-game to win arguments you otherwise couldn’t win. It’s propaganda in a lab coat.

Take "misogynist" – a once-clear term that meant someone who hated women. But when former Australian PM Tony Abbott criticised Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female PM, he was branded a misogynist. Why? Because disagreeing with a woman in public apparently now equals hatred. Never mind that Abbott has three daughters and a long history of promoting women in his personal and political life.

But the word stuck. And it stuck so hard that even dictionaries redefined it to include things like “prejudice against women” or “sexist behaviour.” That’s not the same thing as hatred. But the word carries that weight — and that’s precisely why it was used. A smear disguised as vocabulary.

Another example: "vaccine." Once upon a time, a vaccine was a substance that prevented disease. That’s why we don’t see smallpox or polio anymore. However, when the COVID-19 vaccine failed to prevent infection or stop the virus from spreading, instead of acknowledging the product's limitations, authorities simply revised the definition.

No longer something that stops transmission — just something that “reduces symptoms.” So now even a therapeutic injection can be called a vaccine. What was once a shield is now rebranded as a damp cloth — and we’re told it’s the same thing.

And then there's the weaponisation of “starvation” — most recently by media and activists during the Gaza conflict. As Alan Dershowitz pointed out in his recent video, the claims of mass starvation in Gaza are wildly exaggerated, if not fabricated altogether. Satellite images show food trucks being unloaded, marketplaces operating, and even Hamas stealing supplies to sell them for profit. But screaming “genocide” and “starvation” grabs headlines. Accuracy? That’s optional.

And while we're on genocide, that word has been thrown around with reckless abandon. Israel is constantly accused of genocide in Gaza, as if deliberately targeting civilians were the goal of its military campaign. That is categorically false and grotesquely offensive. Israel is fighting a defensive war against a terrorist regime that deliberately embeds itself in schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings — using its own people as human shields. Despite this, Israel has taken unprecedented steps to warn civilians, provide aid, and avoid unnecessary casualties — more than any military force in history. The accusation of genocide here isn't just wrong — it's a cynical attempt to vilify self-defence while absolving actual terrorists of blame.

It’s the boy who cried wolf, but worse. Because once language is corrupted, real suffering becomes harder to identify, and harder to stop. If everything is “genocide,” nothing is. If every critic is a “misogynist,” then real hatred gets lost in the noise. If every injection is a “vaccine,” then the word becomes meaningless.

Why it matters

Words shape how people think, how they vote, and how they react. When you mess with definitions, you’re messing with minds. It’s dishonest, it’s dangerous, and it’s deliberate.

The antidote? Call it out. Be precise. Refuse to go along with corrupted language just because everyone else is

Here is Alan Dershowitz's video on the abuse of words.