Reclaiming words, ideas

Many words have been used or exploited by the powerful and mainstream to dull the people's minds. I'm studying for the GRE and I've come upon one that I wanted to write about.

Pragmatic (adj): Practical rather than idealistic.


Well, what is practical? Going along with the status quo is pragmatic/practical. Fighting for a better world is idealistic. Why? Cause it's not going to happen. What I say is that going along with this status quo-misery piled upon misery while others make decisions for you-is idealistic. This status quo is not practical when you look at it; it is highly unsustainable and headed for fascism or environmental catastrophe. Believing that it's sustainable is not even idealistic however, it's just ostrich-syndrome writ large.