The cover of The National Interest has a picture of Neville Chamberlain on it, with the word “Appeaser!” Then the cover says, “Paul Kennedy on the Most Abused Word in History.” In Impromptus today, I say,

Munich gave appeasement a very bad name, it is true. (That was a lesson taught to me by a history professor of mine, who otherwise wasn’t worth much.)
But I believe that, quite possibly, the most abused word in history — where politics and world affairs are concerned — is “peace.” And then, possibly, “fascism.” Of course, the most abused word of all time — any sphere — is “love.”

A reader writes, “The word ‘racism’ or ‘racist’ didn’t make it onto your very short list of the most abused? Why?”

Because I forgot.