5 ms·

I came to the comments hoping someone would address this. I'm American and totally agree. This word terrorist needs to just go away. Call them criminals. Call t

I came to the comments hoping someone would address this. I'm American and totally agree. This word terrorist needs to just go away. Call them criminals. Call the networks "organized crime." Look at the bombing in NYC recently. "we do not think this is terrorism" said our idiot mayor. It is terrorism if someone detonates a bomb in a street! Period. If you mean "we're waiting to see if he's part of a broader network of terrorists working together," then say that! Words are powerful and in America we are pretty bad about using them incorrectly (see: entrée as a main course!).

eridius 10y ago
I looked up entrée, and the Wikipedia page says that the American usage of the word is actually older than the contemporary French meaning of a dish served before the main course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entr%C3%A9e https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entr%C3%A9e
- kgwgk 10y ago
  The contemporary American meaning (the main course) doesn't seem really older than the contemporary French meaning. > The word entrée maintained this meaning of a substantial meat course served after the soup/fish and before the roast in Britain, France, and America until well after the first World War. http://languageoffood.blogspot.ch/2009/08/entree.html http://languageoffood.blogspot.ch/2009/08/entree.html
- umanwizard 10y ago
  How could that possibly make sense etymologically? (I'm genuinely curious). Given that "entrée" means "entrance"...
robotresearcher 10y ago
> This word terrorist needs to just go away. Call them criminals. Terrorists are criminals whose main motivation is political. The main motivation of other criminals is not. One term is more specific, so they are not interchangeable, and the term terrorist carries useful information when used properly. Of course, diseases are not politically motivated, so that analogy is not great.
- abecedarius 10y ago
  So Henry Thoreau and Richard Nixon were terrorists? I'd really prefer more specific (and disrespectful) terms like "violent troll". "Terrorist" helps feed the phenomenon it's naming.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - GrinningFool 10y ago
    I've often wondered what effect it would have if the media universally started referring to "suicide bombers" as "mentally imbalanced religious fanatics".
    - proksoup 10y ago
      Like a world without lawyers, one shudders at the impossible dream. http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/9/9b/Best-simpsons-gifs-world-without-lawyers.gif/revision/latest?cb=20130920112217 http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/9/9b/Bes... Can you imagine?
  - jacobush 10y ago
    Some suicide bombers are children, coerced or fooled into it. "Go stand there in the crowd. Your parents will be proud. If you dont, something very unfortunate might happen to your little sibling."
vacri 10y ago
I agree with your general gist, but terrorism has an actual meaning - trying to push your political agenda through application of terror (it doesn't have to be murder per se)/ But yes, American political dialogue could do with more multi-polarity, and less us vs them dichotomy.

eridius 10y ago

I looked up entrée, and the Wikipedia page says that the American usage of the word is actually older than the contemporary French meaning of a dish served before the main course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entr%C3%A9e https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entr%C3%A9e

kgwgk 10y ago
The contemporary American meaning (the main course) doesn't seem really older than the contemporary French meaning. > The word entrée maintained this meaning of a substantial meat course served after the soup/fish and before the roast in Britain, France, and America until well after the first World War. http://languageoffood.blogspot.ch/2009/08/entree.html http://languageoffood.blogspot.ch/2009/08/entree.html
umanwizard 10y ago
How could that possibly make sense etymologically? (I'm genuinely curious). Given that "entrée" means "entrance"...

robotresearcher 10y ago

> This word terrorist needs to just go away. Call them criminals. Terrorists are criminals whose main motivation is political. The main motivation of other criminals is not. One term is more specific, so they are not interchangeable, and the term terrorist carries useful information when used properly. Of course, diseases are not politically motivated, so that analogy is not great.

abecedarius 10y ago
So Henry Thoreau and Richard Nixon were terrorists? I'd really prefer more specific (and disrespectful) terms like "violent troll". "Terrorist" helps feed the phenomenon it's naming.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- GrinningFool 10y ago
  I've often wondered what effect it would have if the media universally started referring to "suicide bombers" as "mentally imbalanced religious fanatics".
  - proksoup 10y ago
    Like a world without lawyers, one shudders at the impossible dream. http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/9/9b/Best-simpsons-gifs-world-without-lawyers.gif/revision/latest?cb=20130920112217 http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/9/9b/Bes... Can you imagine?
- jacobush 10y ago
  Some suicide bombers are children, coerced or fooled into it. "Go stand there in the crowd. Your parents will be proud. If you dont, something very unfortunate might happen to your little sibling."

vacri 10y ago

I agree with your general gist, but terrorism has an actual meaning - trying to push your political agenda through application of terror (it doesn't have to be murder per se)/ But yes, American political dialogue could do with more multi-polarity, and less us vs them dichotomy.