Michael Shellenberger discusses the euphemistic treadmill: [1]
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We stopped calling it psychopathy → now it’s “antisocial personality disorder” (DSM-5 change).
Why? Because the old word became “politically incorrect.”
Same pattern everywhere:
“Retarded” → “developmentally delayed” → new term needed soon
“Addict” → “person with substance use disorder”
“Mentally ill” → “person with mental health challenges”It’s not about kindness.
It’s about control.
The people pushing these changes don’t actually care about the feelings of those they claim to protect — they care about gaining power in the conversation.
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