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>the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion Which word am I diluting exactly? If Romney is as afraid of releasing his taxes as many imply,

>the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion Which word am I diluting exactly? If Romney is as afraid of releasing his taxes as many imply, would he not be fearful of their release? edit2: thanks for the replies, I think I understand why y'all disagree and I think that I agree with you. It's not systematic and it's not being used to intimidate others, it's too focused, basically.

MartinCron 14y ago
Part of the idea of terrorism (and hate crimes, for that matter) is that the victims aren't just the ones immediately impacted, but other people as well. The aim of terrorism is to create a climate of fear in those who live. I will always remember the first time I flew on an airplane after September 11, 2001. I strongly doubt that this act was designed to strike fear into the hearts of all of the other fabulously wealthy presidential candidates who refuse to disclose their tax returns.
benburleson 14y ago
In my opinion, the reason this does not classify as terrorism is that 99.999999% of the world is not afraid of being blackmailed for the release of their tax returns.
brown9-2 14y ago
The entire idea of blackmail is that you fear the thing being held against you.
lotharbot 14y ago
Two issues with your usage: - this is not "systematic". Terrorism targets a whole group. - this is not "violent" (search the wikipedia entry[0]; while the word is left out of the one-liner at the top, it appears throughout). I would have categorized this under blackmail, or possibly harassment or intimidation. It definitely isn't terrorism. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism
uptown 14y ago
"If Romney is as afraid of releasing his taxes as many imply, would he not be fearful of their release?" If a kid is afraid of their first day of school that doesn't mean the school is a terrorist, though that child may be full of terror about that day. It's a very broad term - arguably which contributes to problem of ever really "winning" a "war on terror", but the common understanding of the word terrorism today doesn't usually include things like fear of tax records being released.
pmichaud 14y ago
Being "fearful" or "worried" about the political consequences of a document being made public isn't the same as "terror." Not wanting to leave your family alone because they may be raped and murdered is terrifying. I think that's the dilution the parent comment was talking about.

MartinCron 14y ago

Part of the idea of terrorism (and hate crimes, for that matter) is that the victims aren't just the ones immediately impacted, but other people as well. The aim of terrorism is to create a climate of fear in those who live. I will always remember the first time I flew on an airplane after September 11, 2001. I strongly doubt that this act was designed to strike fear into the hearts of all of the other fabulously wealthy presidential candidates who refuse to disclose their tax returns.

benburleson 14y ago

In my opinion, the reason this does not classify as terrorism is that 99.999999% of the world is not afraid of being blackmailed for the release of their tax returns.

brown9-2 14y ago

The entire idea of blackmail is that you fear the thing being held against you.

lotharbot 14y ago

Two issues with your usage: - this is not "systematic". Terrorism targets a whole group. - this is not "violent" (search the wikipedia entry[0]; while the word is left out of the one-liner at the top, it appears throughout). I would have categorized this under blackmail, or possibly harassment or intimidation. It definitely isn't terrorism. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism

uptown 14y ago

"If Romney is as afraid of releasing his taxes as many imply, would he not be fearful of their release?" If a kid is afraid of their first day of school that doesn't mean the school is a terrorist, though that child may be full of terror about that day. It's a very broad term - arguably which contributes to problem of ever really "winning" a "war on terror", but the common understanding of the word terrorism today doesn't usually include things like fear of tax records being released.

pmichaud 14y ago

Being "fearful" or "worried" about the political consequences of a document being made public isn't the same as "terror." Not wanting to leave your family alone because they may be raped and murdered is terrifying. I think that's the dilution the parent comment was talking about.