“Language evolves. Facts don’t. That which generations have deemed to be frum practice remains so”
We aren’t talking about practices, we’re talking about the definition of a word. I’ve already talked about this on other threads, which is why I didn’t really want to rehash it all here. Whether you like it or not, there has come to be a trend of using the word “frum” specifically to NOT include the MO. This isn’t meant in a derogatory way, as is evidenced by the fact that MO people do it themselves and say stuff like “I’m just a normal, observant guy; I’m not ‘frum,'” or, “that community is a bit too frummy for us, we want something more modern.”
As I’ve also said elsewhere, the only community I’ve noticed that uses the word to refer to anyone even slightly observant (like Conservative Jews who actually keep kosherish) is Chabad. I’m not sure this is a dialect difference so much as an overly-sensitive, PC kind of trend. Regardless, it shows there are some people/places that use it more loosely, which seems to be what you’re used to. I really don’t want to have to go through this again as I really don’t find these vocab discussions that interesting. Being upset by others points/ideology is one thing and is pretty par for the course in the CR. But, of all the things to react to on this thread, you reacted to an issue purely of semantics. How is your reaction any different than someone getting upset when a person uses the word “black” when he would rather him have said “African-American?”
And, by the way, as for you not providing a word to use instead: I would have no problem describing us as Charedi if the Zionists and chilonim hadn’t purposely and maliciously succeeded in turning that into a pejorative.