Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Fox Newspeak
I saw a thing on the Fox News scrollbar today (it was on at the gym, okay?) that reminded me of why I hate them so: it's not just the usual right-wing "if we say it's true, it must be true" fascist propaganda, it's (all of the above) propaganda that demonstrates an abnormally low IQ. This thing, which you've no doubt seen if you watch much Fox News, is that they insist on referring to suicide bombers as "homicide bombers."
Now, let's set aside that such terminology is an obvious example of the political-right thinking "We can't let these damn Ay-rabs get off easy by making any of them look slightly noble or reasoned--let's call them evil thugs in as many ways as possible." That's an ideological thing, and I'm not at all inclined to say anything to ennoble a bomber or try to justify his/her reasons for doing it. I'm also not interested right now in examining the shitty things people of the alleged Christian and American persuasions have done--my main target here is the abject stupidity of Fox's choice of terms.
First of all, how the hell does "suicide bomber" in any way say something positive about the perpetrators? No one's calling them "conscience bombers" or something, are they? It's a simple descriptive: a suicide bomber is a bomber who intentionally dies during the act of setting off his or her bomb. A+B=C. But beyond that, the term "homicide bomber" is idiotic: there are many many bombers who set off their bombs with the intent of killing others but without the intent of killing themselves, and all of these must by nature be "homicide bombers." The concept of homicide is implicit in the word "bomber"--a "non-homicide bomber," now that would be extraordinary! Thus the requirement for a goddamn distinction for suicide bombers in the first place.
Osama Bin Laden is a homicide bomber. Eric Rudolph is a homicide bomber. Ted Kaczynski is a homicide bomber. None of them is what Fox News means when they deploy the term with woeful inaccuracy. They use it over-specifically to refer to a tiny subset of what it actually refers to, as if suicide bombers are somehow less noble and more evil than Osama, Ted, and all those bombers who keep themselves safe and sound as they murder. Stupid fuckwits (Fox, not Osama or Ted, who are batshit but not stupid).
In conclusion, a hearty FUCK YOU to Fox News for their ongoing mutilation of language for vile political ends.
Now, let's set aside that such terminology is an obvious example of the political-right thinking "We can't let these damn Ay-rabs get off easy by making any of them look slightly noble or reasoned--let's call them evil thugs in as many ways as possible." That's an ideological thing, and I'm not at all inclined to say anything to ennoble a bomber or try to justify his/her reasons for doing it. I'm also not interested right now in examining the shitty things people of the alleged Christian and American persuasions have done--my main target here is the abject stupidity of Fox's choice of terms.
First of all, how the hell does "suicide bomber" in any way say something positive about the perpetrators? No one's calling them "conscience bombers" or something, are they? It's a simple descriptive: a suicide bomber is a bomber who intentionally dies during the act of setting off his or her bomb. A+B=C. But beyond that, the term "homicide bomber" is idiotic: there are many many bombers who set off their bombs with the intent of killing others but without the intent of killing themselves, and all of these must by nature be "homicide bombers." The concept of homicide is implicit in the word "bomber"--a "non-homicide bomber," now that would be extraordinary! Thus the requirement for a goddamn distinction for suicide bombers in the first place.
Osama Bin Laden is a homicide bomber. Eric Rudolph is a homicide bomber. Ted Kaczynski is a homicide bomber. None of them is what Fox News means when they deploy the term with woeful inaccuracy. They use it over-specifically to refer to a tiny subset of what it actually refers to, as if suicide bombers are somehow less noble and more evil than Osama, Ted, and all those bombers who keep themselves safe and sound as they murder. Stupid fuckwits (Fox, not Osama or Ted, who are batshit but not stupid).
In conclusion, a hearty FUCK YOU to Fox News for their ongoing mutilation of language for vile political ends.
