New Orleans 'insurgency'

[Jonathan Lighter]

Janis, it distresses me terribly to think that my jocular sarcasm added even one bit to your misery. Please accept my sincerest apology.

As it sometimes is, my sarcasm was directed solely  to the sort of semi-educated, egotistical, self-aggrandizing know-it-alls who not only dislike "refugee" personally but who also insist that the word is inapplicable, wrong, insulting, etc., and should be banned from media coverage of this catastrophe.  I called such people "word cranks" in my "insurgency" message, as well as in an earlier thread.

Several of us seemed to agree on an earlier thread that there is nothing so terribly wrong with "refugee."


The idea that I may inadvertently  have caused you pain by taking a Swiftian shot at "word cranks" disturbs me greatly.

Disturbing in a different way is the revelation that what I thought of as a point of view so twisted as to be a joke (and not one on the people of the Gulf, God knows) - is now confirmed to be a real point of view held by real individuals.  What a world.

Once again, Janis, I *am* sorry.  Please accept my best wishes for the days and months ahead, and I promise to be more circumspect in my humor in the future.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Lighter


Janis Nihart <tarheel at MOBILETEL.COM> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Janis Nihart
Subject: Re: New Orleans 'insurgency'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe I am hot and tired from a week of being a refugee(has been in use
since atleast the early 60's--nothing wrong with it.) In 1965 we lost everything
in Betsy inGrand Isle La.. I moved about 30 miles farther north about 20 years ago.
My parentsagain are dealing with the effects of Katrina on Grand Isle and they also
have toworry about looting.So I am also upset so maybe I misunderstood what was
said.The word thug is politically incorrect. The politically correct word is
ASSHOLE.Please someone tell me that I misunderstood the comments made about how
insurgents can rape , loot, and destroy for a noble cause and do it while
laughing. Iwonder if the same thing can be said for the servicemen in Iraq...should
they bejustified when they do it???I think not! I apologize if you were being
sarcastic.Janis Nihart

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> ----------------------- Sender: American Dialect Society
>
> Poster: Jonathan Lighter
> Subject: Re: New Orleans "insurgency"
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
> Many of us word cranks see this "error" as more politically correct. A
> "thug" is violent for the hell of it, but an "insurgent" has a social
> or political motivation.
>
> It would be very very condescending to make the assumption, prevalent
> in our sick society, that people who rape, shoot, and pillage cannot be
> motivated by lofty, albeit sometimes differing, ideals.
>
> The military has at last recognized this simple fact.
>
> JL
>
> Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> ----------------------- Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Benjamin Zimmer
> Subject: New Orleans "insurgency"
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
> If you thought "refugee" was a loaded word... how about "insurgency"?
>
> -----
> http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1077495.php
> Army Times, Sep 2, 2005
> Troops begin combat operations in New Orleans
> [...]
> While some fight the insurgency in the city, other carry on with rescue
> and evacuation operations. Helicopters are still pulling hundreds of
> stranded people from rooftops of flooded homes.
> -----
>
> A Google News search also finds references to "insurgents", e.g.:
>
> -----
> http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20050903/localnews/11863.shtml
> Gainesville Times, Sep 3, 2005
> Local physician headed to New Orleans
> Col. Philip Marler served four months in Iraq last year as a member of
> the U.S. Army National Guard.
> Now, the Gainesville physician is heading to New Orleans to help his
> hometown recover from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.
> [...]
> The parallels to Iraq are unsettling, Marler said. "In the Army,
> they're not referring to these people as looters," he said. "They're
> calling them insurgents."
> -----
>
> Further discussion of the Army Times article here:
> http://www.boingboing.net/2005/09/03/alcajun_army_times_c.html
>
>
> --Ben Zimmer
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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