Excellent topic. Let's get the ball rolling.

Some initial thoughts (subject to change without prior notice grin )

"How is language used to conflate unrelated issues?"

The answer to this is, of course, in the preceding thought processes. It has to begin with a process of logic, concrete thinking and abstract conceptualisation.

For example, when we read this:

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones",

what meaning do we see in it?

Applying logic, and thinking in concrete terms, we can deduce that if one's house is made of glass, one shouldn't throw stones because some irate target might destroy it by doing likewise. Then, by a process of abstraction, we can expand that understanding into a general concept, i.e., if one has a vulnerability, one should avoid taking antagonistic action that exposes it to similar, retaliatory, action.

When the thought processing is complete, the appropriate language may be constructed by which to (attempt to) communicate the conclusions. Language is nothing more than the result of an attempt to encode thoughts and feelings into communicable terms.

"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once" - John Wheeler