LadnavIV t1_jat1pnp wrote on March 3, 2023 at 9:22 PM

Reply to comment by snoman18x in Banning Words Won’t Make the World More Just - The Atlantic by vaikrunta

This is the meaning of the phrase euphemism treadmill

sysaphiswaits t1_jatw6jx wrote on March 4, 2023 at 1:05 AM

I’ve never heard that phrase before, but it’s terrific.

Seismech t1_jauxph0 wrote on March 4, 2023 at 6:52 AM

According to the etymology at ttps://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/euphemism_treadmill Steven Pinker coined the term in 1994. With my emphasis

>1994 April 5, Steven Pinker, “The Game of the Name”, in The New York Times‎[1], ISSN 0362-4331, page A21:
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The euphemism treadmill shows that concepts, not words, are in charge: give a concept a new name, and the name becomes colored by the concept; the concept does not become freshened by the name. (We will know we have achieved equality and mutual respect when names for minorities stay put.)

IncidentFuture t1_jaywonk wrote on March 5, 2023 at 3:27 AM

https://stevenpinker.com/files/pinker/files/1994_04_03_newyorktimes.pdf

Seismech t1_jb0w631 wrote on March 5, 2023 at 4:16 PM

Thanks for finding the complete article.

The "date" in the url 1994_04_3 made me think that the date in my citation was off. But the image in the PDF itself is May 5.