Does the word phobia mean anything anymore?

[OLDMAN]

Just recently got censored by our national media page CBC, for pointing out the fact that phobias are a real mental disorder that affect the lives of those inflicted, often being debilitating. By making up words such as transphobic or Islamaphobia when what should be said is bigoted, fear mongering or discriminatory, are we not demeaning those that have phobias? (Contents were disabled)
To me this is just lazy journalism, society control, or PR for those involved. Am I missing something?

 

[Tigers!]

Just recently got censored by our national media page CBC, for pointing out the fact that phobias are a real mental disorder that affect the lives of those inflicted, often being debilitating. By making up words such as transphobic or Islamaphobia when what should be said is bigoted, fear mongering or discriminatory, are we not demeaning those that have phobias? (Contents were disabled)
To me this is just lazy journalism, society control, or PR for those involved. Am I missing something?

The word phobia is thrown around far too readily. It like called someone racist, sexist etc. When you call them that that is supposed to end the conversation by displaying your alleged superiority. It's just lazy, controlling and disrespectful.

 

[bilby]

Prescriptivism is stupid.

Phobia, like most English words (and suffixes) has more than one meaning.

Islamophobia can be real without being a psychiatric disorder; Just as one can be racially intolerant without any specific genetic makeup, despite lactose intolerance being wholly genetic.

Not only does the word 'phobia' still mean something; It still means several things. As do many English words.

If that's a problem for you, I suggest you establish your own language.

Oh, and you didn't get censored, unless the government did it. If the word 'censored' means anything anymore.

 

[krypton iodine sulfur]

Am I missing something?

The suffix -phobia doesn't have the same meaning in all contexts. Hydrophobic molecules, for instance, are not suffering an intense and irrational fear of water. Terms like 'transphobia' and 'islamophobia' describe concepts which are more sociological than psychological, and are likely patterned off of the more prevalent meaning of 'xenophobia'.

To me this is just lazy journalism, society control, or PR for those involved.

It's weird you should call this 'lazy' when this very post indicates you've stubbornly ignored an established linguistic pattern which is decades old and consistent with usage which is almost certainly older than you. Even if you don't agree with this usage of -phobia, it doesn't stand to reason that it should be demeaning to those with psychological phobias such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia (et al).

 

[krypton iodine sulfur]

Just out of curiosity, but I wager this was about Gardner and Michaud? The CBC story, that is.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

The meanings of words change over time and those ones clearly refer to hatred and bigotry these days, not fear, regardless of what you get with an exact parsing of a linguistic breakdown of parts of the word. That makes your comment about as valid as ones that said "Your article incorrectly identified Frank as a gay man. He was clearly sad about the fact that his boyfriend died of AIDS" or "Your article falsely accused Mary of sabotaging her husband's attempts to move in with his girlfriend. She slashed his tires with a knife, not her shoe".

 

[Keith&Co.]

Does the word phobia mean anything anymore?

Well, the word has still got the original meaning. Just additional usage in the culture.
Same as 'imbecile' used to be a clinical term for cognitive disability, now it's a stupid insult..
Same as 'fetish' used to mean a specific problem, now it's anything that gets you extra hot.
And 'buxom' used to mean obedient, now it means big funbags.

Lots of words have multiple usage in the dictionary.
Just need to be clear what you mean when you say it. "That's fantastic, by which i mean so outrageous as to ne unbelievable! Not 'great,' if you follow me."

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Phobic means irrational distrust or hatred of. I would say, phobias that you speak of have an origin in natural instincts, and honestly, there is a rational cause to fear *insert thing* however, it is an unregulated fear. Phobias regarding gays or Islam originates in bigotry and has no rational origins and is regulated by the person.

So I'd say that this is a gift of the English language, both words are being used correctly, they just happen to be the same word.

 

[repoman]

What about Pentecostal-phobic? Those people can be crazy as hell. It is sensible to be leary of them as a group in their function as such. When not in church, not so much. A fair amount of Muslims are even loonier rhan that.

 

[OLDMAN]

Prescriptivism is stupid.

Phobia, like most English words (and suffixes) has more than one meaning.

Islamophobia can be real without being a psychiatric disorder; Just as one can be racially intolerant without any specific genetic makeup, despite lactose intolerance being wholly genetic.

Not only does the word 'phobia' still mean something; It still means several things. As do many English words.

If that's a problem for you, I suggest you establish your own language.

Oh, and you didn't get censored, unless the government did it. If the word 'censored' means anything anymore.

It is a national broadcaster paid in part by large government support thru taxes. There was nothing offensive about what I wrote, for example, it didn't get censored here.
Am I Islamaphobic? Or could there be good reasons not to want or support the spread of that or other religions? How would one know if the definition is purely personal opinion\?

 

[OLDMAN]

Just out of curiosity, but I wager this was about Gardner and Michaud? The CBC story, that is.

Yes, Just to be clear, I agree with the outcome....the meme was nothing less than fear mongering, hatred. But the use of Transphobic seems to me to be lazy journalism and way to broad a brush for painting. As I stated, phobias are a real medical condition. Not simply hatred or bigotry. Why not make a clear distinction between the two?

The Muslim community loves the term Islamaphobia because it allows them to dismiss any descension as non rational attacks. And just like it is meant to do the discussion is over before it begins. I am just waiting for Christphobia to turn up. Godphobia? Isn't there an endless use of this suffix and to what end?

 

[OLDMAN]

Phobic means irrational distrust or hatred of. I would say, phobias that you speak of have an origin in natural instincts, and honestly, there is a rational cause to fear *insert thing* however, it is an unregulated fear. Phobias regarding gays or Islam originates in bigotry and has no rational origins and is regulated by the person.

So I'd say that this is a gift of the English language, both words are being used correctly, they just happen to be the same word.

No, it means having an irrational fear of something...I have never heard your meaning before.

 

[OLDMAN]

The meanings of words change over time and those ones clearly refer to hatred and bigotry these days, not fear, regardless of what you get with an exact parsing of a linguistic breakdown of parts of the word. That makes your comment about as valid as ones that said "Your article incorrectly identified Frank as a gay man. He was clearly sad about the fact that his boyfriend died of AIDS" or "Your article falsely accused Mary of sabotaging her husband's attempts to move in with his girlfriend. She slashed his tires with a knife, not her shoe".

My only point is that if something, in this case a meme, is offensive or fear mongering or hurtful or hateful, then what is the problem with using those terms. Let's leave unrational medical fears out of the description. Made up terms like Islamaphobia are way to all inclusive and being used as a dodge to skirt real problematic issues with the religion.

 

[repoman]

So, referring to the Canadian politicians, was the rainbow chosen by gays to chuff the Christians? Good job if so, I guess.

 

[OLDMAN]

So, referring to the Canadian politicians, was the rainbow chosen by gays to chuff the Christians? Good job if so, I guess.

I think it was just a way to include people into the community. Flags, clothing. sidewalks, all say "We are here" and we are part of your world.

 

[OLDMAN]

Am I missing something?

The suffix -phobia doesn't have the same meaning in all contexts. Hydrophobic molecules, for instance, are not suffering an intense and irrational fear of water. Terms like 'transphobia' and 'islamophobia' describe concepts which are more sociological than psychological, and are likely patterned off of the more prevalent meaning of 'xenophobia'.

To me this is just lazy journalism, society control, or PR for those involved.

It's weird you should call this 'lazy' when this very post indicates you've stubbornly ignored an established linguistic pattern which is decades old and consistent with usage which is almost certainly older than you. Even if you don't agree with this usage of -phobia, it doesn't stand to reason that it should be demeaning to those with psychological phobias such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia (et al).

The real problem here is the lack of clarity in the word now being used. It still means fear, but now we've broadened it to mean distrust, hate, dislike. Were there not enough words to use, or is it simply lazy....I think the later.

 

[repoman]

What if it was tactical by Muslims as a way of disarming all criticism?

 

[Bomb#20]

Dr. Bradley: Well, well! Good evening, Mr. Whiteside!

Whiteside: Come back tomorrow -- I'm busy.

Dr. Bradley: Now what would be the best news that I could possibly bring you?

Whiteside: You have hydrophobia.

- The Man Who Came to Dinner

 

[krypton iodine sulfur]

The suffix -phobia doesn't have the same meaning in all contexts. Hydrophobic molecules, for instance, are not suffering an intense and irrational fear of water. Terms like 'transphobia' and 'islamophobia' describe concepts which are more sociological than psychological, and are likely patterned off of the more prevalent meaning of 'xenophobia'.


It's weird you should call this 'lazy' when this very post indicates you've stubbornly ignored an established linguistic pattern which is decades old and consistent with usage which is almost certainly older than you. Even if you don't agree with this usage of -phobia, it doesn't stand to reason that it should be demeaning to those with psychological phobias such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia (et al).

The real problem here is the lack of clarity in the word now being used. It still means fear, but now we've broadened it to mean distrust, hate, dislike. Were there not enough words to use, or is it simply lazy....I think the later.

There isn't a lack of clarity. This is well-established usage, and generally people don't have much difficulty understanding what it means. People may not always agree with or understand why people apply the term in all specific contexts, but that doesn't mean they don't understand what the term itself means. Ans we didn't broaden the usage. None of us were alive when that happened initially (19th century). You may have been alive when this usage of '-phobia' spread beyond 'xenophobia' to new contemporary terms. Not having been born until the early 80s, I was not.

I don't know what to tell you. Linguistically, you don't have a case. Your narrow usage is not correct, but even if we accepted removing the definition of -phobia used in xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia etc. this still wouldn't make a case for the claim that those who used the terms were being lazy. Excluding 'xenophobia' this pattern in neologism formation has been around roughly half a century. 'Homophobia' was coined in the 70s, 'transphobia' in the 90s, Islamophobia also in the 90s, though it is interesting to note, that 'Islamophobe' also appeared in the 19th century alongside terms like 'Judaeophobe' and 'Francophobia'.

 

[Rhea]

The real problem here is the lack of clarity in the word now being used. It still means fear, but now we've broadened it to mean distrust, hate, dislike. Were there not enough words to use, or is it simply lazy....I think the later.

Plus, as noted above, all those hydrophobic materials that have this clinically irrational fear of water - my tent fly cowering in desperate and angry fear of the dew, for example, mocking the real mental anguish of people. And hydrophillic washclothes I bought from Norwex, which wildy and promiscuously embrace the water on my windows without consent.


Shameful lack of clarity, really.