Excellent talk *promote

Promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Thursday, August 24th, 2017 9:44am PDT - promote requested by eric3579.

*quality

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by lurgee.

I almost closed the tab after "literally a quantum leap" but I'm glad I didn't because the rest was pretty smart and insightful.

I admit that I still find it annoying, but the use of the word literal as pure emphasis and not meaning actual reality is over a century old.

@bobknight33 what do you think?

I didn't know that but it doesn't surprise me. It's just... hyperbole - using literally in a sentence that should not be taken literally. To me it's exactly like somebody saying "no exaggeration..." and then exaggerating wildly. Would people not expect to be called on that shit? It is too much like lying! It will turn into an arms race - we'll have to develop other means of saying "literally" when we really mean it and in turn those means will be turned against us until ALL LANGUAGE DIES!!!1

but then. Sarcasm. My standards are double. I can offer no defence.

but also, quantum leap. It might be an abrupt change, possible overcoming some sort of previously imagined impenetrable barrier... but it surely must still be a very small change

Fantastic.
Incredible.
Unbelievable.
Unreal.

I think I saw an article a while back that started listing words like this. It's actually more rare to see them used with their original meaning than with their newer metaphorical meaning. I think that's just what happens to language. It's like all our words for stupid. Many of them were technical. Dumb means you couldn't speak. Idiot and moron meant certain low IQ levels. My favorites, because of the current transition, is how the word Retarded is being abandoned and people are now using Autistic (often shortened to Autist). People like to use emphasis in their language. They *real-ly* like to.

he's an excellent speaker

Compassion and empathy with your "co-humans", no matter what their views are, is very important and sometimes difficult to achieve. The problem is that sometimes you'll have to adjust how far it goes because some of these people have a deep, innate hatred that will never reside.