3 ms·

Recent anecdote from Popehat, about the 1992 riots in Los Angeles: > /4 So “cover me” to the LAPD means “if someone pops up with a gun and shoots at me, shoot

Recent anecdote from Popehat, about the 1992 riots in Los Angeles: > /4 So “cover me” to the LAPD means “if someone pops up with a gun and shoots at me, shoot at them.” Apparently to the Marines it means “lay down a curtain of suppressive fire using your rifles.” Hilarity ensued. https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social/post/3lr2w7wo3o22n https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social/post/3lr2w7wo3...

thaumasiotes 1y ago
> Apparently to the Marines it means “lay down a curtain of suppressive fire using your rifles.” Is that supposed to be a surprise to someone? What do you think "cover fire" is?
- ceejayoz 1y ago
  That’s why the post says “cover me”, not “cover fire”.
  - thaumasiotes 1y ago
    Well, "cover fire" is a noun, and can't be used as a command. It's called that because it's how you cover people. If you ask someone to darn your sock, and they do, will you complain "hey, I didn't say 'darning needle'"?
    - ceejayoz 1y ago
      A marine saying “cover fire” is asking you to shoot. A cop saying “cover me” is asking for something the marine might call overwatch.
    - deleted 1y ago
      [deleted]
- fenomas 1y ago
  The fact that it meant something else to someone else is, if you look closely, the entire point of the anecdote.
  - thaumasiotes 1y ago
    And the phrasing, "Apparently, ...", presents this as if it was hard to foresee. It was definitely not hard to foresee.
    - margalabargala 1y ago
      And yet it apparently was hard to foresee for at least one crucial person...
    - deleted 1y ago
      [deleted]
    - ceejayoz 1y ago
      What is easy to forsee in a conference room is not as easy to forsee in a crowded street with tear gas and shouting and rubber bullets flying.
      - thaumasiotes 1y ago
        But, again, Ken White seems to be having trouble seeing it in retrospect. Is that not weird? The tweet is phrased to suggest that the Marines are using unusual terminology. They aren't.
        CogitoCogito 1y ago
        "Apparently..." would have been the perfect way to describe my reaction. I didn't realize that "cover me" meant "lay down suppressing fire" to Marines. I guess it makes sense, but that's not the meaning I would have expected. So I would probably have been just as confused as the cops in the story. I wouldn't be surprised if most cops would have been similarly confused. So yeah in conclusion, I don't really understand the point you're trying to make.

thaumasiotes 1y ago

> Apparently to the Marines it means “lay down a curtain of suppressive fire using your rifles.” Is that supposed to be a surprise to someone? What do you think "cover fire" is?

ceejayoz 1y ago
That’s why the post says “cover me”, not “cover fire”.
- thaumasiotes 1y ago
  Well, "cover fire" is a noun, and can't be used as a command. It's called that because it's how you cover people. If you ask someone to darn your sock, and they do, will you complain "hey, I didn't say 'darning needle'"?
  - ceejayoz 1y ago
    A marine saying “cover fire” is asking you to shoot. A cop saying “cover me” is asking for something the marine might call overwatch.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
fenomas 1y ago
The fact that it meant something else to someone else is, if you look closely, the entire point of the anecdote.
- thaumasiotes 1y ago
  And the phrasing, "Apparently, ...", presents this as if it was hard to foresee. It was definitely not hard to foresee.
  - margalabargala 1y ago
    And yet it apparently was hard to foresee for at least one crucial person...
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - ceejayoz 1y ago
    What is easy to forsee in a conference room is not as easy to forsee in a crowded street with tear gas and shouting and rubber bullets flying.
    - thaumasiotes 1y ago
      But, again, Ken White seems to be having trouble seeing it in retrospect. Is that not weird? The tweet is phrased to suggest that the Marines are using unusual terminology. They aren't.
      - CogitoCogito 1y ago
        "Apparently..." would have been the perfect way to describe my reaction. I didn't realize that "cover me" meant "lay down suppressing fire" to Marines. I guess it makes sense, but that's not the meaning I would have expected. So I would probably have been just as confused as the cops in the story. I wouldn't be surprised if most cops would have been similarly confused. So yeah in conclusion, I don't really understand the point you're trying to make.