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August 16, 2005
murderous meme
Iraq War blogger Michael Yon makes a very good point about the misuse of words like "martyr": In an effort to be culturally sensitive and almost compulsively polite, we've mangled the meanings of words like: "martyr," and "suicide" to such a degree that we're using them to label mass murderers. While American and foreign media collectively increase the suffering of babes through their current fashion of cynicism, others seem to have a case of "parents' guilt." Unable to give the Iraqi suffering the undivided and ameliorative attention it requires, reporters instead rush at any sign of distress and hyper-focus on the negative. In the process, they create more problems than originally existed, shoveling out body counts and masquerading them as reports.I think he's right. He goes on to explain further how this empowers terrorists: Calling homicide bombers martyrs is a language offense; words are every bit as powerful as bombs, often more so. Calling murderers “martyrs” is like calling a man "customer" because he stood in line before gunning down a store clerk. There's no need to whisper. I hear the bombs every single day. Not some days, but every day. We're talking about criminals who actually volunteer and plan to deliberately murder and maim innocent people. What reservoir of feelings or sensibilities do we fear to assault by simply calling it so? When murderers describe themselves as "martyrs" it should sound to sensible ears like a rapist saying, “she was asking for it.” In other words, like the empty rationalizations of a depraved criminal.A typical example of the murderer-as-martyr meme can be found in a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle -- here describing as a "martyr" a young man's ongoing attempts to murder Jews: Fifteen-year-old Abdel Kareem Mohammed Abu Habel sits in an Israeli prison after he tried and failed to martyr himself last year. Would he do it again? Without a doubt, he says.On to a description of his "matrydom" plan: A week after he was released, Abdel made plans for martyrdom. He purchased the components -- explosives, belt, detonator -- to make a suicide belt, using money he had earned by making gold bracelets for sale. It cost about 1,000 Israeli shekels -- approximately $250.(Via LGF.) "Jabiliya," the refugee camp from which young Abdul hails (a place portrayed as part of the overall picture of his despair) has a long history as a wannabe "sister city" of Berkeley, California. City officials sought the sister city designation, but opted for a ballot measure, which -- fortunately -- was defeated at the polls. A similar attempt by activists in Madison, Wisconsin, to designate Rafah as a "sister city" is ongoing. Here's a picture of the place (Jabiliya): Berkeley hasn't looked that way for a while... (Well, a number of the graying Jabiliya activists did turn out to demonstrate against the public display of a terror-bombed Israeli bus, and displayed signs of "martyrs" but that's another story. I guess.) I'm a bit cynical, but I wonder about the connection between the morphing of "murderer" into "martyr" and these sorts of ongoing propaganda campaigns. I mean, why would make a "sister city" out of a place which is governed by Hamas? (Via Stefan Sharkansky.) Here's how the Al Mezan Human Rights Center (responsible for coordinating the Madison-Rafah sister-city deal) uses the word "martyr": Rafah largely depends on relief organizations, such as the Al Mezan Human Rights Center, which would be responsible for coordinating the sister-city arrangement if passed by the Madison City Council.This is not surprising, considering the perspective of the sister city project's founder: Israel is an offshore US military base and weapons testing ground. It is a westernized colony for white supremacists seeking ways to discreetly dispose of its nigger population. It is an American franchise for the new global economy, a consumer outlet, an ad for Disney-World-gone-native, a terrorist training camp for Jewish fundamentalists, the most well-funded terrorist organization outside the mainland United States, a strategic foothold in the Middle East for oil-thirsty, power-hungry neo-cons.(Wow. Wouldn't want to "mess" with her. She can write.) I suppose that once the leap is made from terrorist murderers to "martyrs," it's a small step to calling them (and their supporters) "peace activists." (Maybe even "antiwar activists.") Language can be almost as depressing as politics. posted by Eric on 08.16.05 at 11:15 AM |
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"The word martyr is derived from the word "to witness." It is used to describe a person who is killed because of a belief or principle. Given the choice to recant, martyrs chose instead to face their murderers and stand in witness to their beliefs. True martyrs do not kill themselves, but stand their ground and fight in the face of death to demonstrate the power of their convictions, sometimes dying as a result, but preferably surviving."
That is exactly right. That is exactly what I have been saying ever since this War started. A suicide is not a martyr. A murderer is not a martyr. Jeanne d'Arc was a martyr. Giordano Bruno was a martyr. Muhammed Atta was not a martyr. Words mean things.