No more "war on terror"
By Michael J.W. Stickings
In Britain, at least.
From The Observer: "Cabinet ministers have been told by the Foreign Office to drop the phrase 'war on terror' and other terms seen as liable to anger British Muslims and increase tensions more broadly in the Islamic world."
Now there's a thought. Avoid angering Muslims and increasing tensions throughout the Islamic world. You know, try to be a bit more sensitive to the nuances of cultural, political, and religious difference. Show some understanding, some compassion. Reach out. Try to figure out why they think what they think and do what they do. Put ourselves in their shoes. Avoid talk of "us" and "them," of "good" and "evil". Think outside the military-industrial box.
Do you think that would work better than bombing the crap out of them?
It would, but the F.O.'s advice may not mean much. Chancellor of the Exchequer (and possible Blair successor) Gordon Brown used the phrase "war on terror" recently. And the U.S. State Department put it this way: "It's the president's phrase, and that's good enough for us."
If Bush says it's a war on terror, it's a war on terror. Unfortunately, that's not good enough for the rest of us.
In Britain, at least.
From The Observer: "Cabinet ministers have been told by the Foreign Office to drop the phrase 'war on terror' and other terms seen as liable to anger British Muslims and increase tensions more broadly in the Islamic world."
Now there's a thought. Avoid angering Muslims and increasing tensions throughout the Islamic world. You know, try to be a bit more sensitive to the nuances of cultural, political, and religious difference. Show some understanding, some compassion. Reach out. Try to figure out why they think what they think and do what they do. Put ourselves in their shoes. Avoid talk of "us" and "them," of "good" and "evil". Think outside the military-industrial box.
Do you think that would work better than bombing the crap out of them?
It would, but the F.O.'s advice may not mean much. Chancellor of the Exchequer (and possible Blair successor) Gordon Brown used the phrase "war on terror" recently. And the U.S. State Department put it this way: "It's the president's phrase, and that's good enough for us."
If Bush says it's a war on terror, it's a war on terror. Unfortunately, that's not good enough for the rest of us.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
5:42 PM
1 Comments:
As a blogger, I sometimes slip and use the phrase. That's how the world of doublespeak is supposed to work, after all. Generally, however, I will say, "so-called war on terror," "invasion of Iraq," "current wars," "neocon adventure," etc., etc., Don't get me started; I could go on forever. I saw Max Boot today on C-SPAN, touting his new book about war (title written in red). The man is so scary to watch in person. I can't get behind his eyes. I can understand see how such a man (who uses the phrase, "American hegemony" as a normal fact of life) could turn the head of our current president.
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