3/17/07

The Rhetoric of War

Is the terminolgy used by politicians lying, euphemism, spin, diplomacy, or hypocrisy? It's hard to decide when everything means nothing.

How 'bout "Support Our Troops?" Isn't that just a passive/aggressive way of saying 'I love our troops and you hate them,' which is of course absurd? Can any sane American ---left, right or indifferent---actually wishes harm upon our troops?

How 'bout "extraordinary rendition?" Isn't that really just 'kidnap and torture of civilians?'

"Protecting American interests in the region?" Doesn't that really mean protecting the salaries and stock options of corporate CEOs that export jobs, cheat on their taxes and get government bankruptcy bailouts without giving a shit about average American workers?

What happens when we tolerate these lies, er diplomatic terms, is that foggy bottom gets so, well, foggy and filled up with euphemism nothing means anything anymore.

[Excerpts of an article by a writer/director/producer/actor Tom Gilroy]

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