5 ms·
10% of the force is not a small number but it’s also not a decimation.
by broof 2y ago
10% of the force is not a small number but it’s also not a decimation.
- grantmuller 2y agoActually it’s quite literally a decimation, if you know the root of the word.
- pjmorris 2y agoTo be pedantic (and technically correct), "n the military of ancient Rome, decimation (from Latin decimatio 'removal of a tenth'[1]) was a form of military discipline in which every tenth man in a group was executed by members of his cohort." [0] So, a 10% cut fits the definition. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation_(punishment) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation_(punishment)
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- kcoddington 2y agoThat's actually a classic definition of the word. Hence the deci- prefix.
- t43562 2y agoReally? Decimation is the practise of killing every 10th soldier in a group as a punishment. 10% IS that
- robertlagrant 2y agoI think all these identical comments need to take into account reality - most people reading that will not think "oh, so a 10% reduction, then". It's technically correct, and probably chosen to motte and bailey both interpretations, but it's obviously misleading.
- t43562 2y agoIt depends. A 10% reduction in GDP, as an example, would result in great misery. A 10% staff reduction on an already understaffed organisation probably has a very great impact. The damage is probably being expressed very well
- robertlagrant 2y agoA 10% reduction in GDP is different to a 99% reduction, which is how most people interpret "decimated".
- t43562 2y agoI know it isn't worth replying but I never heard of 99% as the definition of decimated.
- robertlagrant 2y ago> I know it isn't worth replying The immediately self-contradictory passive aggression is pointless. > I never heard of 99% as the definition of decimated. Most people hear decimated and think "totally gone" or "almost totally gone".
- t43562 2y agoCambridge dictionary: the act of killing a something in large numbers, or reducing something severely. Not totally gone or almost gone, merely "severely" or in "large numbers".
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- hackburg 2y ago[dead]
- hackburg 2y ago[dead]
- actionfromafar 2y agoDecimate means killing a tenth. I think that should come out to about 10%
- denim_vampire 2y agoThe word decimate comes from the Latin decimatio, which was a form of military discipline where one of every ten men would be killed. So although we usually think of 'decimate' as meaning removing some large proportion of something, it can also still mean removing 10 percent!