refugee, IDP, evacuee

[Jonathan Lighter]

Not a reply to any particular message, but just to head off any misunderstanding.

When I wrote that the idea that American citizens are, essentially, "too special"  to be called refugees was racist on its face, I wasn't being ironic or sarcastic.

I'll leave it to others to debate whether "racist" in this context may be semantically prohibited. Like "refugee."

JL

Barnhart <barnhart at HIGHLANDS.COM> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Barnhart
Subject: Re: refugee, IDP, evacuee
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The use in the press (as quickly and crudely assessed in Google News)
suggests that the use of refugee (3,700 articles) is more than twice a
"frequent" as the term evacuee (1,580 articles). Internally displaced
person is a virtual no show--there are only 3 articles for it.

More to come as this story unfolds.

Regards,
David

barnhart at highlands.com

American Dialect Society on Tuesday, September
06, 2005 at 9:11 AM -0500 wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: James Smith
>Subject: Re: refugee, IDP, evacuee
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>They came to America for refuge from Africa? Pretty
>well turns the word on its head!
>
>--- Margaret Lee wrote:
>
>> Black people in America have been "refugees" from
>> Africa since 1619.
>
>>
>
>
>James D. SMITH |If history teaches anything
>South SLC, UT |it is that we will be sued
>jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com |whether we act quickly and decisively
> |or slowly and cautiously.
>
>
>
>
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