4 Historical Terms In The Current Political And Literature Context
Understanding the origin of eponymous terms and their contemporary usage — Machiavellianism, Luddites, Mccarthyism, & Achilles Heel
Machiavellianism
A kind of personality trait in humans that reflects cunningness, manipulative, and sham. This type of person has a tendency to go to any extent to grab power, prestige, and money without concerning others and their feelings in the process.
The term has been inspired by the novel Nicolas Machiavelli ‘Prince’, which tells how the leaders use deceitful and cunning strategies to attain power and prestige in the courts.
Nowadays, it becomes a useful term to show or reflect the personality of people who do anything for the 3 Ps — Power, Prestige, & Praise. They don’t care about morals and ethics and basic human feelings such as compassion and empathy. Nothing is more important than the 3 Ps.
Machiavellianism term becomes an essential part of the Dark Triad concept that tries to determine three dark personality traits.
Luddites
Someone who opposes new technological inventions is referred to as a Luddite. It isn’t limited to any specific time period. For instance, today luddites are those who might have been opposing Artificial Intelligence or Bio-engineering.
The term was first used in the late eighteenth century for the British weavers and artisans who protested against the usage of machinery in the textile process. An elusive figure Nexx Ludd steered the movement by destroying a textile apparatus in 1779. They feared of losing their jobs and income in the competition against the machines, which would be more effective and fast. They didn’t against the progress.
Now the term has been used for all those who seem conservative and against the new inventions.
McCarthyism
The term is used to refer to a practice of accusing people indiscriminately, questioning their political views repeatedly, and forcing them to incriminate friends and colleagues on the basis of unsubstantial charges. It has been used as a byname for defamation of reputation or character.
This phenomenon is called McCarthyism, which was linked to the US in the 1950s under the helm of US senate Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. It became prevalent at that time when the state had doubts that communists had penetrated into the social fabric of the USA and pretended as teachers, workers, etc.
Achilles Heel
Achilles Heel refers to a weak point in a powerful entity that may lead to its downfall. It points out not only a physical vulnerability but also mental and other qualities that can be fatal and dangerous.
When the hero Achilles was an infant, his sea-nymph mother dipped him into the river Styx to make him immortal. But since she held him by one heel, this spot did not touch the water and so remained mortal and vulnerable, and it was here that Achilles was eventually mortally wounded.
So simply, it uses for a weak point of a person, a thing, or something that seems impenetrable and invincible.
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