protest = 'demonstrate in public to draw attention to'

[Laurence Horn]

On Apr 4, 2012, at 10:56 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:

> Not quite. He's not "against" it--he is trying to bring attention to it
> with the purpose of either 1) finding a cure or 2) seeking acceptance
> for the patients (mainstreaming) or 3) seeking preventive measures or
> genetic clues. Not really the same thing. Aside from all these things,
> yes, he's against it. But that's a very minor part of the issue. He's an
> advocate for the disease as a frontline issue, not for the disease
> itself. You could also say that he's an advocate for the victims
> (patients and family members).

Speaking of protestors, but on the other side of the issue, I remember when it was fairly standard to refer to those of us who opposed the war (sorry, conflict) in Vietnam as "anti-Vietnam demonstrators" rather than "anti-Vietnam War demonstrators".  We used to say (without noticeable effect) that we were *pro*-Vietnam, just against the war.

LH
> …
> On 4/4/2012 10:37 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>> ...
>> Earlier this week, a gentleman explained that after fathering an autistic
>> child, he'd become "a big advocate for the disease."
>>
>> That means he's against it.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org