The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

Is there a name for the feeling experienced when you hear an expression with very strong and definite negative connotations used to mean something completely different, almost frivolous?

Because that's what anyone from Germany experiences when the read this article, the Baader-Meinhof terrorist group having been highly present in the public conscience for over 3 decades now. As an American, imagine using "Charles Manson phenomenon" for something like this...