Prejudice.

The word no one likes. In fact, you could say we...ah...have a prejudice against it.

It's thrown around and used as a weapon to disarm intellectual opponents on any subject. To many, simply accusing someone of being prejudice is sufficient reason to shut down debate and declare themselves the victor.

There can be no defense if this charge leveled against you because no proof is needed other than that which already resides in the mind of the accusers. We use the word in so many was, to cover so many varied subjects and circumstances, that it has nearly lost all its meaning, as it has gained elasticity and malleability and concurrently, lost any real substance. The more definitions you mutilate to fit into one word, the less defined the word becomes.

It seems to me that many simply do not think about what they're really saying. It's simply flung down on the table of public discourse with no regard and no purpose other than to tell your fellow travelers that they need not listen to those on the other side of the issue any longer. They're PREJUDICE! And therefore, you need not feel you're being narrow minded if you chose no to listen to their side of the debate. Indeed, you are morally Superior for NOT listening to their prejudice and bigoted hate speech.

What exactly do you mean when you say someone is prejudice? Do you think about it before you use it? Or has it simply become a bludgeon to use when the force of your argument has failed to persuade?