New terms aim to mask society’s ills, destigmatize harmful behaviour and inject identity politics where there once were none

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For several years, activists and self-styled “advocates” have been attempting to change the way we speak about social problems like homelessness, drug addiction, crime and unsocial behaviour.

The intention is clear: to remove stigma and any overt suggestion of personal responsibility. The new names are meant to reorient our thinking so that we understand that the real causes of misfortune to be societal or systemic. If a word has shameful connotations, that seems to be enough to warrant change. The goal here is to refrain from describing anyone who could plausibly be identified as a victim as having any personal responsibility for their own fate.

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At the top of the list are the homeless. They are instead “unhoused” or “unsheltered.” They have homes, advocates say, in the communities where they live. But the housing market has let them down. Or, as some put it, these are people “experiencing” homelessness. The passive voice........

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