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Macron declared that France was in a state of war during a presidential speech at the start of the Covid-19 crisis EU also has its share of word over utilizati
by vianneychevalie 6y ago
Macron declared that France was in a state of war during a presidential speech at the start of the Covid-19 crisis
EU also has its share of word over utilization
- the-dude 6y agoThanks for setting that straight. We had an 'intelligent lockdown', but hey, we're Dutch.
- mc32 6y agoThat makes it sound better than having stupid lock downs... But I guess it’s about policy marketing to the audience.
- est31 6y agoGermany's president said in his speech on April 11: > No, this pandemic is not a war. It does not pit nations against nations, or soldiers against soldiers. Rather, it is a test of our humanity. It brings out the worst and the best in people. Let us show each other our best side! https://www.bundespraesident.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Reden/2020/04/200411-TV-Ansprache-Corona-Englisch.pdf?__blob=publicationFile https://www.bundespraesident.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Rede...
- ciarannolan 6y agoI wish my country had a leader that could speak in full sentences like this.
- Aloha 6y agoI just wish mine had one who could speak in full sentences
- refurb 6y agoAt least from an English language perspective, that's incredibly pedantic. Everyone knows what "war on.." means. "War on poverty", "War on cancer", etc, etc. People never thought it meant an actual war with countries attacking each other.
- Jedd 6y agoAs an English speaker commenting on a German speaker's use of language -- I think it's laudably accurate, not pedantic. 'Everyone knows' may apply to how people in your vicinity use that word, but it's not necessarily the case everyone uses, or approves of, this usage. As others have noted, normalising words with specific and powerful meanings is a way to weaken those words and surreptitiously make the actions they represent more common and palatable.
- refurb 6y agoAlright, as an English speaker who has lived across North America, it's pedantic. And we're talking about an American company working with an American gov't agency. Why wouldn't how "war" is used in the US be the only thing that matters?
- lhjn 6y agoNot an English speaker, but the very fact you find it pedantic is making his point, IMO. It means their normalizing the word "war" worked on you - or it may be seen as such. Not judging you though, just my perceptions.
- refurb 6y agoI don’t disagree. I guess my point is we are well beyond “normalization”. We’ve been using “war against...” for the past 50 years at least.
- chrisandchips 6y agoI see where you’re coming from, but I disagree that the normalization argument is the only interpretation of whats going on here. Language is extremely fluid and its development often exceeds our own conscious understanding. « A sustained campaign against something undesirable » is already a commonly accepted definition of the word war. It can grow to mean different things in different contexts just as much as any other word can. I think we need a lot more argument to prove the normalization of the word causes peoples perspective of conflict to change
- owenversteeg 6y agoWell, that "nous sommes en guerre" (we are at war) speech by Macron was mocked by pretty much the whole country, rightly so in my opinion.