What qualifies as an ‘invasion’ or a ‘dictator’? Language battles dominate American politics

In the wake of a strong government response to the Los Angeles protests, more attention has gone this week to how a word like “invasion” functions — leading the machinery of government in one direction, and not another.

Yet whether or not the U.S. has experienced an immigrant “invasion” and whether or not President Donald Trump is on the path to becoming a “dictator” are national conversations that rely upon more than just objective facts on the ground.

They also depend on how people across the political spectrum define either term — which have become surprisingly contested in our strongly polarized U.S. landscape.