kinetic

[Dan Goncharoff]

Yet you define "non-kinetic" as "non-violent", and "kinetic" clearly allows
writers to avoid the word "violent".

I guess I don't know what a euphemism is.

DanG

On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 12:10 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
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> No.
>
> JL
>
> On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:54 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: kinetic
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Isn't it still a euphemism for "violent"?
> > DanG
> >
> > On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:50 AM, 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
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > 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/
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >--
> > > > > >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
> the
> > > > > truth."
> > > > > >
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> > > truth."
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