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I recognize that the author is using the term Blood Money like Blood Diamond, as a way of saying that the investment dollars are tainted by violence. But the t

I recognize that the author is using the term Blood Money like Blood Diamond, as a way of saying that the investment dollars are tainted by violence. But the term Blood Money already has a meaning in English, which is a payment to settle the feelings of a family for the loss of a loved one, and prevent revenge. It's not very common among northern Europeans, but is part of the culture of Arabs and, supposedly, Sicilian mafiosi. The US paid lots of blood money over the years to attempt to quell vengeance for collateral damage or incorrect targeting, and even in some cases for legitimate killings of battlefield opponents.

dx87 8y ago
FWIW, I've only ever heard Blood Money used the way it's used in the article. The first entry in the Merriam-Webster dictionary says "money obtained at the cost of another's life", the secondary definition is restitution like you mentioned.
- projektfu 8y ago
  Interesting, I stand corrected. It is the first time I've heard the term used in my language like that.
hprotagonist 8y ago
"wergild" is the unambiguous term for "money paid in compensation for an injury".
tareqak 8y ago
I’ve heard of a few cases of murder in Saudi Arabia where the accused was found guilty and facing execution, but was set free after blood money was negotiated and transferred. Knowing that fact, I think the author intended the title of the article alludes to the practice with respect to recent events except with tech being recepients of said blood money. From Wikipedia: Diya (Arabic: دية‎; plural diyāt, Arabic: ديات‎) in Islamic law, is the financial compensation paid to the victim or heirs of a victim in the cases of murder, bodily harm or property damage. It is an alternative punishment to qisas (equal retaliation). In Arabic, the word means both blood money and ransom, and it is spelled sometimes as diyah or diyeh.[citation needed] It only applies when victim's family want to compromise with the guilty party; otherwise qisas applies. [0] The murder of Yvonne Gilford comes to mind [1]. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diya_(Islam) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diya_(Islam) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yvonne_Gilford https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yvonne_Gilford
thaumasiotes 8y ago
> But the term Blood Money already has a meaning in English, which is a payment to settle the feelings of a family for the loss of a loved one, and prevent revenge. This is incorrect; "blood money" is an established English term for money that has been metaphysically tainted with blood. (Compare, among many others, Judas' refrain in Jesus Christ Superstar, "I don't want your blood money", referring to the 30 pieces of silver the priests pay him for betraying Jesus.) The English term for money paid to settle a death is "weregild".
- lotophage 8y ago
  The concepts appear similar, but "blood money" has been in use for a long time: > Blood money is from 1530s; originally money paid for causing the death of another[1]. [1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/blood https://www.etymonline.com/word/blood Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution)
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution) > Blood money is, colloquially, the reward for bringing a criminal to justice. > A common meaning in other contexts is the money-penalty paid by a murderer to the kinsfolk of the victim. These fines completely protect the offender (or the kinsfolk thereof) from the vengeance of the injured family. The system was common among Germanic peoples before the introduction of Christianity (weregild) The concepts of "money you pay as a penalty for killing someone" and "money a third party pays you as a reward for killing someone" aren't really similar in the slightest.
    - lotophage 8y ago
      The very first sentence is: > Blood money, also called bloodwit, is money or some sort of compensation paid by an offender (usually a murderer) or his/her family group to the family or kin group of the victim.

dx87 8y ago

FWIW, I've only ever heard Blood Money used the way it's used in the article. The first entry in the Merriam-Webster dictionary says "money obtained at the cost of another's life", the secondary definition is restitution like you mentioned.

projektfu 8y ago
Interesting, I stand corrected. It is the first time I've heard the term used in my language like that.

hprotagonist 8y ago

"wergild" is the unambiguous term for "money paid in compensation for an injury".

tareqak 8y ago

I’ve heard of a few cases of murder in Saudi Arabia where the accused was found guilty and facing execution, but was set free after blood money was negotiated and transferred. Knowing that fact, I think the author intended the title of the article alludes to the practice with respect to recent events except with tech being recepients of said blood money. From Wikipedia: Diya (Arabic: دية‎; plural diyāt, Arabic: ديات‎) in Islamic law, is the financial compensation paid to the victim or heirs of a victim in the cases of murder, bodily harm or property damage. It is an alternative punishment to qisas (equal retaliation). In Arabic, the word means both blood money and ransom, and it is spelled sometimes as diyah or diyeh.[citation needed] It only applies when victim's family want to compromise with the guilty party; otherwise qisas applies. [0] The murder of Yvonne Gilford comes to mind [1]. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diya_(Islam) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diya_(Islam) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yvonne_Gilford https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yvonne_Gilford

thaumasiotes 8y ago

> But the term Blood Money already has a meaning in English, which is a payment to settle the feelings of a family for the loss of a loved one, and prevent revenge. This is incorrect; "blood money" is an established English term for money that has been metaphysically tainted with blood. (Compare, among many others, Judas' refrain in Jesus Christ Superstar, "I don't want your blood money", referring to the 30 pieces of silver the priests pay him for betraying Jesus.) The English term for money paid to settle a death is "weregild".

lotophage 8y ago
The concepts appear similar, but "blood money" has been in use for a long time: > Blood money is from 1530s; originally money paid for causing the death of another[1]. [1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/blood https://www.etymonline.com/word/blood Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution)
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution) > Blood money is, colloquially, the reward for bringing a criminal to justice. > A common meaning in other contexts is the money-penalty paid by a murderer to the kinsfolk of the victim. These fines completely protect the offender (or the kinsfolk thereof) from the vengeance of the injured family. The system was common among Germanic peoples before the introduction of Christianity (weregild) The concepts of "money you pay as a penalty for killing someone" and "money a third party pays you as a reward for killing someone" aren't really similar in the slightest.
  - lotophage 8y ago
    The very first sentence is: > Blood money, also called bloodwit, is money or some sort of compensation paid by an offender (usually a murderer) or his/her family group to the family or kin group of the victim.