# FTR: No matter how harsh I get here with the nasty wordsies, I am not "persecuting" you

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftr-no-matter-how-harsh-i-get-here-with-the-nasty-wordsies-i-am-not-persecuting-you/685591>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 7, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftr-no-matter-how-harsh-i-get-here-with-the-nasty-wordsies-i-am-not-persecuting-you/685591 "2014-04-07T23:17:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 19

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**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftr-no-matter-how-harsh-i-get-here-with-the-nasty-wordsies-i-am-not-persecuting-you/685591/19 "2014-04-08T09:09:58Z")

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> [@Why do Christians — America’s most populous religious group — feel so victimized?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-america-s-most-populous-religious-group-feel-so-victimized/685012/19):
>
> I don’t agree. Words have meanings, to be sure, but I usually take the dictionary’s meanings as authority for the proper use of words.
> 
> “Hostility and ill-treatment, esp. because of race or political or religious beliefs.” (per Google)
> 
> If you’d like to defend the proposition that on the SDMB, Christianity is NOT subject to hostility and ill-treatment, please feel free.
> 
> I agree, of course, that the SDMB is not inflicting bodily injury, hounding people from their homes, or denying them job opportunities. But that’s not the limit of the word.

This is still hilarious. What dictionary does Bricker cite? Google, or put in another way _somebody on the internet_.

> [@Why do Christians — America’s most populous religious group — feel so victimized?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-christians-america-s-most-populous-religious-group-feel-so-victimized/685012/71):
>
> I am using a dictionary for my definition. What are you using, and how does it define the necessary threshold?

I went over to [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) and picked up the following: …a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people because of their religion, race, or beliefs: the persecutions of Christians by the Romans. To say that Christians are persecuted on this message board robs the word of all meaning.

_Hostility?_ Definitely. _Abuse_? Sure. _Ill treated?_ Maybe. _Human rights violations?_ Sorry, but no.  
I’ll admit that persecute gives me, “to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religion, race, or beliefs; harass persistently.” That’s a little closer. Except the pursuit part is missing, as is the implication of official abuse of human rights. You know, like the Ancient Romans.

Oppression? On a message board? Really? _::snort::_

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