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A vigilante does not need to do illegal things. The literal meaning from latin is "watch stander".
by bayesian_horse 7y ago
A vigilante does not need to do illegal things. The literal meaning from latin is "watch stander".
- tomrod 7y agoCurrent usage implies illegal things done. With due respect to Latin, the choice of vigilante is odd.
- dmos62 7y agoVigilante, in its current mainstream use, means a vigilant person who enacts justice without authority. The justice part is not in the etymology of the word, however. Vigilante, structurally, just means someone who is vigilant. I think calling a watch-dog or an independent peer-reviewer a vigilante is not inappropriate. It's a stylistic choice. I think it's important in literary education to be able to distinguish between what a word is and what cultural baggage it has (how it's used). Of course, where a word ends and its baggage begins is debatable, but it's a good debate to have.
- tomrod 7y agoI think we are aligned on our view of the word choice
- bayesian_horse 7y agoWhat about vigilantes in comic books and derivative media? Clearly positive! (though also illegal)
- dmos62 7y agoI guess the negative images associated with the word are lynch mobs and the like.