Euphemisms Can Destroy the Meanings of Our Words

Polite society lives in a world of euphemisms.  If you have a low IQ, it may be more tactful to refer to you as “intellectually challenged” than “stupid.”

This phenomenon is even taken to the point of jokes; if you’re short of stature, you may be said to be “vertically challenged.”

Let’s hope there is something similar at work in the meme here.  Normally, those in public office who take bribes, especially those at the highest levels of government, are not regarded as “ethically challenged,” but simply as “criminals.”