kinetic

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Mon Mar 28 15:50:15 UTC 2011


The status quo of kinetic:

A strategy expert on CNN reports that Gaddafi's resignation is "the only
non-military, non-kinetic solution" to the Libyan situation.

Since she clearly mentions the word "military" in the phrase, this use of
"kinetic" is, once again, not euphemistic. It's just trendy. It seems to
mean, in line with the original "kinetic event" collocation, "involving
military violence."

JL

On Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 3:15 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: kinetic
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I watched Fox regularly and exclusively for eight years because I liked
> their style and endless battling heads. In 2008 I quit because I could no
> longer stomach the sarcasm and innuendo. (And let's just say that Obama had
> not been my first choice.)
>
> But sometimes I give a quick look. Last week I was in time to hear an
> anchor ask in amazement, "American planes are bombing Libya. But [_look of
> dismay_] where's the President????"
>
> (He was on a state visit to Brazil, surrounded by aides and cell phones.)
>
> Again, Steve "I'm Just a Big Lovable Kid" Doocy says, "At 3 in the morning,
> Obama was wakened by the phone call on the Japanese earthquake and tsunami
> that have cost thousands of lives. What did he do next day? [_Flat,
> cynical_] He played golf."
>
> At the height of the Vietnam War, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon did not
> get that kind of crap from the "mainstream media," and despite its
> endless self-serving claims, Fox News is mainstream.
>
> Sorry for the nonlinguistic digression.
>
> JL
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 12:04 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: kinetic
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > "kinetic" as "moving, changing", from "kinetic energy", the energy of
> > motion?
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 3/26/2011 11:30 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > >A commentator on CNN describes operations against Libya as "a kinetic
> > >military event."
> > >
> > >In this instance, it's simply a pretentious, redundant description (with
> > >"kinetic" essentially meaning "dynamic" or "fluid") and not (as some
> might
> > >assume) a propaganda euphemism.
> > >The context was something like, "Well, this is a kinetic military event
> > and
> > >so Obama needs to blah blah blah...."
> > >
> > >JL
> > >On Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 8:52 AM, Ben Zimmer
> > ><bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu>wrote:
> > >
> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > -----------------------
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> > > > Subject:      Re: kinetic
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > On Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 4:50 AM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > If you go to the video to about 2:51 mark, you will see and hear
> two
> > > > > weasels in terminological heat.
> > > > >
> > > > > http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201103250045
> > > > >
> > > > > Luntz claims he's never heard "kinetic". Hannity mentioned
> "kinetic"
> > at
> > > > > 2:47, which is what set Luntz off. But Luntz's "explanation" of
> what
> > he
> > > > > thinks "kinetic" means is completely idiotic.
> > > > >
> > > > > Wasn't "kinetic" mentioned here a couple of weeks ago?
> > > >
> > > > "Kinetic event" was the winner in the Most Euphemistic category in
> the
> > > > 2010 ADS WOTY voting (defined on the nomination list as "Pentagon
> term
> > > > for violent attacks on troops in Afghanistan"). Jonathan Lighter
> > > > brought it up here in September:
> > > >
> > > >
> > http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1009B&L=ADS-L&P=R6716
> > > >
> > > > --bgz
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Ben Zimmer
> > > > http://benzimmer.com/
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >--
> > >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> > >
> > >------------------------------------------------------------
> >  >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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