The Power of Names

It is obvious that there is power in names. Giving something a name makes us more apt to identify it. Different names for the same thing can shift perceptions. Just think about the death tax versus the estate tax. My question is whether this power of naming can be wielded. Words I Wish Existed isn’t a newsletter where I make up a new word each week. Neologisms break into common use all the time, but there is an element of virality to each one that is not easily replicated. Trying too hard to coin new terms feels a little like trying to give yourself a nickname, you just can’t make it happen. Instead, I am using the lens of describing unnamed things as a way to channel my observations in a way that you the reader might also identify or thereafter begin to identify too.