"refugee" a bad word

[Fred Shapiro]

On Fri, 2 Sep 2005, Arnold M. Zwicky wrote:

> On Sep 2, 2005, at 8:32 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> > This is the first time I've heard the notion that you perforce had
> > to be international (i.e., a "foreigner" - now a very bad word) to
> > be considered a refugee.

Isn't the real issue the connotation of the word: "refugee" connotes
a person in a desperate plight in a situation where order has broken down
and government is unable to fix things, or where governmental oppression
drives people to flee.  Naturally Republicans don't want the word being
used about Americans, despite its obvious relevance to what is happening
in New Orleans and perhaps what lies in the future where other
environmental disasters and infrastructural breakdowns may await us.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
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