Lessing It is commonly understood that words shape reality. This is the theory behind the Political Correctness movement, to wit , by changing our language, we may be able to change the reality of how we think and react, our assumptions and even what we believe. The removal of freedoms of those who are not a threat to others is characteristic of fascism, not democracy. Although words can be the most dangerous of weapons in some situations, in a society of free and rational citizens, the expression of ideas can never be a threat. It doesn't take the initiation of aggression to reject a bad idea.
Words have histories.
They are the products of linguistic evolution, and retain all of their earlier meanings. Regardless of who comes along later and decides that a word should acquire a new meaning, or can be used in a new way, nobody would ever be justified in saying that a traditional meaning is invalid. Preferred to use words of Anglo origin. No one can say that any given word no longer carries its original meaning, no matter how it is used, misused, overused or unused. Shiten is still the traditional Anglo word for the same substance that the Latin excrementum names.