Often ≠ Always
Today, I’d like to address a common misconception made by many people. It is the belief and scary acceptance that 'often' somehow became a synonym for 'always' when that isn’t even remotely how that word is meant to be used, at all.
Often means something is reoccurring if by chance or intervention; it repeatedly happens, maybe not in succession but enough times to warrant it to be often.
Often DOES NOT mean that it is an absolute, permanent occurrence, or as we commonly refer to it 'always' it has never meant this and never will mean this. To use it like this is not only grammatically incorrect it’s an inherently wrong usage of the word.
Always means absolute, forever in nature, it doesn’t cease and it constantly remains.
So What is My Point?
People often refer to the Left (a political siding) as ALWAYS seeking or causing trouble, as always toting communist rhetoric and as always promoting questionable behaviour towards children. Quite obviously sired by confirmation bias, if you already choose to believe the Left is inherently bad you’ll parade around as if that is the objective truth, when it’s simply a subjective bias opinion.
The Left often engages in bad behaviour, the Left and its subsidiaries DO NOT always engage in bad and tasteless behaviour, it’s merely often happening.
One could argue: “You’re being semantic about this.” I’m not, you have grown to use that word as a synonym for always, an absolute.
Just because you chose to do so, doesn’t make it an inherently correct usage of the word. You haven’t evolved the meaning of often, you aren’t using the definition correctly nor its place in grammar, you are attempting to substitute its usage with that of ‘always’. This is wrong to do, a misuse of the ability to speak.
In my personal opinion anyone gifted with the ability to speak should never use said ability to spread hatred to another for any reason whatsoever.
One should never use the ability to speak via vocal and written language to insert their own bias and selective meanings to words, especially in regards to labelling a group and their ideologies as being innately bad without substantial proof that every egg in the basket is a bad egg.
I’m sure we can sensibly agree it isn’t fair to lump others into a group they fought long and hard to separate from, it’s wrong to think all groups are alike without confirming it first.
So with that in mind; no group is ALWAYS doing something if you refer to it as ‘often’ instead of properly using the word 'always' if you refer to it as 'often' when you mean 'always' then you are still using both words as a hyperbole to your own agenda, you are knowingly using the words wrong.
They’re not “Twin Words" as it were. They have completely different meanings in which the rate of things occur, so no; unless you can prove it with evidence (we live in an age so afraid of evidence, I wonder why…) a group belonging to any ideology more than likely isn’t engaging in a constant. They’re more than likely not involved in deliberately repeating events. This is why proof is key. Until something is objective, it’s an opinion. The Left often engages in bad behaviour, but there are sectors that don’t. So try to be less bias. Addressing the bad eggs and criticizing them isn’t a crime, but that entire side hasn’t committed a crime of ideology by name affiliation, so stop acting like they innately have.
In conclusion; use words properly and try to be less bias towards ideological groups just because you’ve noticed more times than not that parts (sectors) of that ideology have caused trouble. You wouldn’t want the actions of another to blacken your name so why would you practice that behaviour? And here; I have respectfully addressed a very common bias both the Left and Right share in, you both judge the other via confirmation bias too often, not always, but enough to be often.
