The first casualty of war

We call language a terrorist organization to illustrate the real
effects of language on citizens, especially in times of war.
Language, like terrorism, targets civilians and generates fear in
order to effect political change. When our political leaders and our
media outlets use terms like Anthrax, terrorist threat, madmen, and
biological weapons, a specific type of fearfulness emerges, both
intentionally and unintentionally. We are all targets for this type
of language, and we are all affected by it as well. Regardless of the
truth of the words, collateral language produces effects beyond its
meaning.

–John Collins, American academic,
“Collateral Language“, 2002