As soon as I came upon Senator Josh Hawley using the word “irregardless” I knew the jig was up for him. Anyone who abuses the English language like that doesn’t deserve to be a leader in America.

Okay, okay. I’m speaking in hyperbole. There are many more significant reasons why the above-named demagogue doesn’t deserve to be a leader in America. However, I’m thinking that the erosion of civility in our country arises directly from the fact that millions of people evidently do not fully appreciate the meaning and power of the words they read and hear and thoughtlessly toss off. Here’s an example from a news account of the recent violent occupation of the nation’s Capitol by thugs and idiots.

One man who made his way into the Senate chamber reached Pence’s chair on the Senate dais. [He]… left a note on the vice president’s desk that read in part, “it’s only a matter of time, “justice is coming.”… [The man]— who has been charged with two felonies, including threatening congressional officials — told investigators he was glad to reach Pence’s desk because he believes the vice president is a child-trafficking traitor, but said he did not mean the note as a threat. [boldface mine]

By “justice” did he mean, “Honor and respect for the legally affirmed election of Joe Biden as President of the United States” or did he mean, “Hang Mike Pence”? I don’t have to think too hard: in this situation, the words the man used were a threat.

In the coming weeks, there will be plenty of parsing over what people “actually meant” when they said what they said. As in the dim political past, we’ll be asked to give thought to “what ‘is’ is” or similar statements. Pundits will argue about what was said, who said it, what the words did or did not mean, and whether or not these consequences were driven by those words.

Pundits have permission to quibble. Pundits (and poets) know very well how to use words. They can create what we call “spin,” that is, interpretative flavor. They can weave thoughts into powerful metaphor. They can articulate word pictures that slam home an emotional experience. Shaping language to serve a particular purpose isn’t the same as outright lying, although lying, too, is a keen skill of some writers. In any case, professional writers, whether in fact or fiction, choose words with intent. They know what they are saying. So do internet “influencers.” But what about those thugs and mobs, with their slogans, chants, and signs? Merely saying, “I didn’t mean it that way” doesn’t let them off the hook.

Chuck Wexler, director of the Police Executive Research Forum, said this: “This is an evolution ….What happened at the Capitol the other day is new territory. Going from freedom of speech to participating in a riot where a police officer dies, that takes it to a new level.”

Words—the spelling, the meaning, the impact—are universally abused in today’s media environment, often in fewer than 280 characters, including spaces. It’s so easy. People forget not only how to be civil but also how their words, intended or not, can make things happen.

What constitutes “free speech” will depend a great deal on how we as a nation choose to respect the power of words to inspire, inform, indoctrinate, and sometimes, incite.

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” Remember that one?