this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2025
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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- All posts must be showerthoughts
- The entire showerthought must be in the title
- No politics
- If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
- Posts must be original/unique
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I think OP used literally correctly here. They are saying that one possible definition of the word cancer can include billionaires as an instance. That's not the definition you'll find in any dictionary, but those lag behind the true language as it evolves.
Then you do not understand what the word "literally" literally means.
While several treatments would work for either, (such as carving up the offending subject with a knife, or sufficient application of chemical or radiative agents), billionaires are an economic problem, not a biologic one.
Oooo, sick burn!! I don't know if I'll recover from that!
My point is that I believe OP was using the word "literally" to mean what it literally means, and not just using it for emphasis as it is so often used these days. They may still be wrong, but they did not misuse the word.
You can only rationally make that argument if you are claiming that "society" is a biological organism, like an amoeba or a babboon, presumably evolved from other common ancestors of all life on earth. When you can tell me the scientific name of this organism, and what organs have been affected by tumors, we can start talking about the literality of the "cancer" OP referred to.
As the underlying logic was metaphorical, "literally" was used as figurative hyperbole, not literality.
You are refuting an argument that I did not make.
Edit to add: OP says cancer can be used literally to refer to billionaires, you say it cannot. One of you must be wrong, but neither is misusing the word "literally."
I am refuting the argument that would need to be made in order to support your position. I clearly specified that necessity in my refutation. "Cancer" and "billionaire" would have to be synonymous, not analogous, for "literally" to have been used correctly.
What type of cancer are billionaires? Carcinomas are cancers of epithelial tissue, but "society" does not have epithelial tissue. Sarcomas are cancers of musculoskeletal and connective tissues, but "society" does not have bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. Myelomas are cancers of the plasma cells in bone marrow, but again, "society" doesn't have bones. Leukemias are cancers of the various blood cells, but society doesn't have "blood". Lymphomas are cancers of the lymphatic system, but society doesn't have one of those either.
In fact, "society" does not have biological tissues or organs that could even become literally cancerous. (Members of society do, indeed, have these various organs and tissues, but no member of society has been diagnosed with a "Bezosma" or "Muskaemia".)
"Billionaires are cancer" is a metaphor. "Billionaires are literally cancer" is simply a false statement, unless "literally" was used, incorrectly, as hyperbole.
That is my point. Literally can be used correctly in a statement that is not correct, and my reading of the original post is that was OP's intention. They did not misuse the word "literally."
I'm not debating the meaning of the word cancer.
So, billionaires are not "literally" cancer, but "billionaires are literally cancer" is supposedly a correct use of "literally"?
This is generally true, but in this particular sentence, the reason the sentence is false is specifically because of the meaning of "literally".
"The sky is literally purple" is a correct use of "literally" in a false statement. This is what you are trying to argue.
"Billionaires are a cancer" is a correct, figurative statement.
"Billionaires are literally cancer" is false specifically because "literally" does not mean "figuratively".
Sorry for the multiple replies btw. My app is acting weird.
Correct. But that is not what OP said. Read it again and I think you will see that OP is saying that "Billionaires are cancer" is not a figurative statement at all, but a literal one. You can disagree with them (I do, btw), but they have not misused the word "literally."
It is a metaphorical statement rather than a simile, but both metaphors and similes are figurative, not literal.
You are refuting an argument that I did not make.
I enjoy this type of debate, but this one doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. I'm moving on. Thank you, sincerely.
Oh, this one went somewhere, just not anywhere you wanted it to go.
You can say "billionaires harm society, literally". That's a literal statement that is true.
You can say "billionaires benefit society, literally". Thats a literal statement that is untrue.
You can say "billionaires are human, literally", so long as you are talking about individuals, and not corporate entities.
You can say "billionaires are steaming piles of shit, figuratively". They are not literally turds emitting water vapor. That metaphor is quite apt, but not literally true.
Likewise, they are not masses of mutated cells. That metaphor is also apt, bit is not literally true.
You can say "teratomas are cancer, literally". You can't say "this argument is literal cancer". It is figurative cancer, not literal.