Changing meaning of words

[Katyppp]

I love watching words and the way their meaning changes over time.
An obvious one recently is literally which has changed from its original meaning to just used to emphasise a point.
I have noticed recently that the meaning of the word confused seems to be changing to mean simply 'I don't agree/was annoyed/want to draw attention to something'. Recent posts have had posters confused about feeding babies chocolate and confused about toddlers trespassing on their garden. What is there to be confused about?

The meaning didn't change. If people don't know or are unsure about the definition of a word they'll copy someone else and hey presto! the nuances have narrowed.

Disinterest is a case in point.

Try decimate.

I think people use it almost sarcastically, as in ‘I don’t understand why you would say/do something so stupid so I must’ve missed something? Explain’. Almost like a patronising head tilt.

E.g.

‘I’m confused as to why someone would tap dance on a railway line’.

‘Sorry I’m confused - so you threw a leg of ham at the deli staff and don’t understand why they banned you from Waitrose?’

It's fine when it happens spontaneously

I don't agree with it when it's done on purpose (i.e. certain words are no longer allowed, or it's mandated that they are replaced with something else to fit a rhetoric)

But I sense your post was light-hearted and not sure you want to dig so deep

I take it to mean

Please can you repeat that terrible thing you’ve just said so I can make an example of you.

For example, me the other day in a lesbian facebook group

Me, ‘I will never accept transwomen can be lesbians, lesbians are female homosexuals.’

Other person, ‘sorry, I’m confused, you’re saying you don’t think tw can be lesbians?’

Then it is usually followed by the confused person jumping to the conclusion that you’re some kind of evil person not worthy of basic humanity. There’s usually a ‘wow’ in there somewhere as well.

I accept that language is, to an extent, defined by its usage, but it's a great pity that the meaning of 'literally' has been damaged by people who are too lazy to think of a more appropriate emphatic.