Well, sure, I’d want to see the exact context of the use. It would be one thing if Twain was using it that way himself, it would be another if he was putting it into a character’s mouth, which would add a slight nuance.

A modern example would be the guy in Parks & Rec who used “Lit’rally” often, and with emphasis, in situations that were clearly NOT Literal. I wouldn’t assume that the writer endorses the concept.

Valid. I just saw that Trump had said that he has no use for Libraries and Museums. Of course not, he’s a Sociopath, he doesn’t have even the slightest understanding of art or beauty of any kind.

Then why didn’t he say that? It sounds to me like he’s surrendered, and is giving them an excuse to not release them.

That’s exactly how they’d read that. They’re already saying that the American people have moved on, and they don’t feel like releasing the rest. Nobody cares anyway. When they hear our side saying it, it only proves them right.

Because theyve quarantined the truly monstrous, incriminating stuff, and haven’t released it yet, obviously.

Are you really that dumb? Or are you MAGA? Or both?

We gotta stick together against the Vocabulary Philistines.

I fully agree that the reconfiguration of our government will include the basic axiom that the government’s and money supply’s primary objective is to serve the people, not business or the wealthy.

Those entities will be made to understand they operate their businesses and fortunes at the pleasure of the American people, and the moment they start using their money to benefit themselves at the expense of the Citizens is the moment their corporations are seized by the government to be operated for the benefit of the nation, their fortunes confiscated, and the Capitalist criminals imprisoned.

After that, the rest will fall in line quickly. They work for us, not the other way around.

That’s not what I was doing. I was illustrating that this controversy about Literally is particularly IRONIC, another grammar word that is often used incorrectly.

And you didn’t understand that, so your assignment for tomorrow is a 1000 word essay on whether your misunderstanding of my post constitutes irony itself, or if it is another example of false irony, such as the Alanis Morissette song.

I used to use a lot more commas, to make my writing sound more like speaking, but it interrupts the flow of the thought. I’ve found that it’s often better to just keep on flowing, and only use commas for major clauses, or for side thoughts that are still relevant enough to not use parentheses. Also to separate thoughts so they don’t get mixed together.

When I end up with a paragraph like this, I’ll start editing our commas, and perhaps rearrange my thoughts.

Literally?

There was a time when Literally was the word we used to eliminate ambiguity. Using it to mean the opposite of its originally intended, and accepted, definition injects ambiguity, the very thing the word is supposed to prevent.

That’s literally an example of IRONY (another often wrongly used word).

“He spent the day literally watching paint dry,” explains that he was watching the paint dry, and not just using a common idiomatic expression for laziness or boredom.

We had a perfectly good word, which people with decent vocabulary used properly, and then people with bad vocabulary ruined it.

Why should those who had a decent vocabulary in the first place improve theirs, instead of the people with the poor vocabulary who ruin the accepted definitions of words improve theirs?

I agree, the bastardization of Literally is one of my vocabulary pet peeves, along with Crescendo.

Sounds like the old fashioned Capitalist solution of a RE-BRAND is called for.

Well just call it Neo-Socialism, fuck it up a little so it isn’t perfect and doesn’t work as promised, but still makes money for the wealthy, and struggle with the poor implementation for another century, before we have another Civil War.

The best things in our country are Socialist - public schools, parks, playgrounds, libraries, museums, roads, bridges, etc.

Getting rid of any Socialist influences means a society where the ONLY priority is making money for some rich guy. Want to have a picnic at the park? Go make money. Want your kid to go to school? They have to make money. You can’t afford it anyway.

The only people who can enjoy leisure time are rich people, because leisure is expensive, and only rich people can afford it.

Disney, Iran, GW Bush, etc. Somehow MAGA manages to consistently be worse than the worst people on Earth.

When they suspended Kimmel, I sent them a ferocious email, and one of the things I said was that the FCC license that they are so concerned about also carries with it the responsibility to serve the American people and the First Amendment with integrity. Defending our Freedom of Speech is literally the most important responsibility they have, and I expected them to hold the line to the bitter end.

It seems like they agree. So far.

I question the need for one, I definitely wouldn’t want any more.

The pool guy gets $3 mill, and kicks back the rest. Standard money laundering scheme.

It’s not? Hmm, that might explain a few things.