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I'm an Anti-Conflationist, are you? # Poll [1]

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Date: 2024-06-03  

What are you on about? Let me explain.

Conflation

The concept of treating two fundamentally different concepts as one. This often leads to the misunderstanding of both concepts, however, not always. Conflation can also be used maliciously to disguise the intent of this erroneous fusion. I’ll give you a couple of examples.

Example 1

‘

The United States of America is a Christian country.

Inaccurate

When the founding fathers declared Independence and wrote the Constitution this was not the case, in 1776 it was around 17%, a definite minority. Today it stands at around 60 to 63% and is rapidly decreasing. It will be more like Western Europe at the current rate of decline in a decade or so.

This phrase makes me cringe and sometimes frightened, it all depends on the context in which it is used. Quite frankly, some branches of Christianity are plain scary to a non-theist, and more worrying it is being used politically.

The more accurate expression would be.

Currently, the United States of America is a majority Christian-country.

‘

Example 2

At present there is a major erroneous conflation going on for political reasons, fancy that, it involves religion.

Anti-Zionism = Antisemitism

Antisemitism: The hatred of Jews for being Jews. [Orthodox Jews opposed Zionism on religious grounds, as preempting the Messiah]

Anti-Zionism: This is the refusal of or recognition of; a Jewish state in the Middle East. Israel [1967 borders] is about 74% Jewish.

Now some indeed are both, some are neither, and some are one of the other. I have no figures for that.

This conflation is a purely political one.

A classic if you are not with us, you are against us conflation.

The Point?

When someone conflates two different concepts into one, language, intentions, and context matter.

A morning muse

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