RobinZ comments on When None Dare Urge Restraint - Less Wrong
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Thanks, Jack. I hadn't checked the context, either - it makes more sense as a reply here.
That said: "coward" has both a denotation and a connotation, and it doesn't make a great deal of sense to promote usage which undermines the former. Yes, people do ... but we can do better than that. Particularly given that the denotationally-accurate term "fanatic" connotes disapproval as well.
Edit: On reflection, upvoted. Yes, the words have meanings - but when they are used as political weapons, as they are in this context, these meanings are frequently ignored in favor of their political purpose.