There is a very long list of words Americans in general do not know the meaning of and/or have come up with their own, nonsensical definitions. Here are just a few:
- Democracy (as already noted)
- Republic
- Communism
- Socialism
- Capitalism
- Freedom of the Press
- Freedom of Religion
- Tariffs
- Welfare
- Common Good
- Service
- Charity
- Family Values
- Right to Life
- Science
- Theory
- Hypothesis
- Fact
- Knowledge
- Research
In their defense, for generations they've been inundated with false definitions through a concerted effort on the part of the right wing while also being subjected to a dumbing-down of public education - also at the hands of the right wing.
It has gone so far and is so pervasive in the US (and increasingly so everywhere) that it might take centuries, not generations to rectify. It certainly won't happen in my lifetime. It may well have reached a point of no return and civilization will collapse into ignorrogance™ and hatred making the Dark Ages look like Pax Romano.
