I've recently had some run-ins with some fairly vile characters. They've attacked me at the drop of a hat and their claims are frequently completely fallacious. It appears as though their major mistakes are simply in the English language itself, so perhaps I've been a bit too hard on them, when, in fact, their biggest problem is not knowing how to speak or comprehend English.
What it boils down to is definitions of English words. For example, "perhaps" does not have the same definition as "absolutely" or "definitely". "Maybe" can be a synonym for "perhaps" but DEFINITELY not those other words. And "It seems" does not mean "I know for certain".
Also, "accused" is not synonymous with "guilt".
I've had an affection with the English language for nearly my entire life so I do find myself getting very annoyed when someone purposefully or even unintentionally strives to disembowel it.
My most recent annoyance has been with the word "harassment". The Oxford English dictionary defines the word "harass" as follows:
1. trouble and annoy continually or repeatedly
2. make repeated attacks on (an enemy or opponent)
So, I definitely was correct when I stated that "asking someone a question, regardless of how inappropriate, does not constitute harassment" unless the questioner will not take "no" for an answer and continually or repeatedly pressures the person being asked. For some reason, this terminology has been thrown around willie-nilly when people are simply asked questions that make them uncomfortable.
So kindly STOP IT. Look up the definition of a word if you don't know what it means.
