The mindless masses did not bother to find a definition for these words, according to the story, but simply believed they must be something vile. The saddest part of all this is the fact that it could happen. Currently, the politicians and the media are tossing around the word "entitlement" as if it is something a freeloader gets. That is not the definition of the word. An entitlement is something you have earned, something you are entitled to. Freeloaders are not entitled. The SSDI check I get each month is an entitlement. The welfare check you get temporarily while between jobs is an entitlement - you paid your taxes, didn't you?
There is a phenomenon called Cultural Language Shift, which I've heard used to excuse this misuse of the word. Cultural Language Shift is the way in which languages evolve. For example, the word celibate originally meant unmarried. Usually, the unmarried were chaste. The two words - chaste and celibate - came to be seen as synonyms. However! This is brought about by the proper usage of the words in question and takes decades, if not centuries.
The use of "entitlement" is not a case of Cultural Language Shift. It is a case of mindless masses believing an extrovert is someone harmful to society. It is the linguistic version of passing on an urban legend. "This is the what was meant" is no different from "That's what I heard".
And while I'm at it, literally does not mean what most of y'all think it does.
