"Insurgents" - fucking media

[matcom]

right. not a SINGLE citizen of Iraq is fighting back.

all "insurgents"

thanks CNN :eyes:

[carnie_sf]

1. T Jefferson

G Washington, J Adams & c. were insurgents to George III

[arcane1]

2. well, it beats calling them "terrorists", anyway

these days, words seem to mean nothing

[ixion]

3. I know, right? I guess that sounds so much better than

Iraqi Patriots.

[Fiona]

4. Insurgent doesn't sound bad to me...

it's just anyone fighting against established authority. It doesn't have a uniformly negative association. It's much preferable to simply calling them "terrorists".

[HEyHEY]

5. I think it's a nuetral term.

Better than "Freedom fighters, Rebels, Guerillas, terrorists"

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

6. dictionary.com

in·sur·gent (adj.)

Rising in revolt against established authority, especially a government.
Rebelling against the leadership of a political party.

[knowbody0]

7. soon i fear

they will call us "insurgents"

[Raiden]

17. They called Dean the insurgent Dem during the primaries

I disliked them calling him that because they also called the Iraqi "terrorists" insurgents - basically creating a subconscious meme that Dean is with the opposition in Iraq and therefore against the troops or whatever

But as a term, "insurgent" seems like the appropriate thing to call the rebels in Iraq --- Especially as opposed to "terrorist".

[FreedomAngel82]

8. Of course

Gotta keep the pro-war nonsense going. Can't even tell the truth about ONE thing.

[HEyHEY]

9. What would you call them

[matcom]

10. how about

citizens

[HEyHEY]

12. But it's a select group of citizens

Not all of them.

[matcom]

13. right

the ones who are strong enough or don't want to be occupied or 'westernized'

i.e. patriots if the invasion happened here

don't you watch the movies? you know, the ones where America is invaded and the HEROS fight back and win against all odds?

[HEyHEY]

14. Look at it this way

If every time a bomb went off in Iraq the media refered to it as "Iraqi citizens, blowing up Iraqi citizens and U.S. Troops."
All that would happen is people like freepers and all other sorts of racists would be able to justify their fuck-up views.

[matcom]

15. so, propoganda rhetoric is ok?

:shrug:

worked so well during the coverage of Viet Namn

[HEyHEY]

19. I just think calling them citizens groups them with the rest of the nation

Iraq is a divided and diverse place and many different groups are shooting at coalition troops and at other Iraqis.
I think Insurgent is nuetral as it specifically means they are people fighting the established power. Hell, even the CBC uses that term and Canada is dead agains the war.

[Kraklen]

23. They are the nation.

These "insurgents" are Iraqi civilians who have taken up arms and are fighting against murdering, raping invaders; and they have the support of the Iraqi people at large. Not unlike the Warsaw uprising.

"Insurgent" might be technically acceptable from a dictionary perspective but it's being used, at least in the U.S., as a synonym for "terrorist."

[HEyHEY]

27. You sound like someone who wants fair neutral media

"These "insurgents" are Iraqi civilians who have taken up arms and are fighting against murdering, raping invaders; and they have the support of the Iraqi people at large."

So often people slam the media. The only real reason being the media isn't representing their EXACT view. So then they accuse them of being bias.

[Kraklen]

37. The American media IS biased. Deeply so.

You had a thread on Nancy Grace today, right? She's Walter Cronkite compared to some of this crap.

Media here says "insurgent" with a kind of sneering disgust that means "terrorist" the same way a klan member will say "black" as a replacement for "nigger."

[matcom]

25. but look what the rhetoric is SUPPOSED to mean

here in the U.S., the sheeple have been conditioned to mean that "insurgents" are outside "evil" forces

right or wrong, that is what CNN and FAUX have been feeding us.

THAT is the bullshit i'm calling them on

[HEyHEY]

29. Well, as someone who detests US news

I can't say I've watched enough to draw that conclusion or dispell it. However if what you say is true then it probably wouldn't matter what word they used.

[GOPisEvil]

11. Alternatively: "freedom fighter" = terrorists we like

:eyes:

[Renew Deal]

18. That would be correct.

:toast:

[GOPisEvil]

22. See also: Contras, Nicaragua

:toast:

[HEyHEY]

21. Well, that word takes sides too

[GOPisEvil]

30. That's the point, isn't it?

That we use different labels based on based on a group's percieved status.

[HEyHEY]

32. The media's purpose

Is to not take sides on such things, for good or ill. I understand this doesn't always happen if at all in the US. But regardless insurgent really seems to be the only fair term.

[GOPisEvil]

36. Hmmm...interesting point.

Main Entry: 1in·sur·gent
Pronunciation: -j&nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin insurgent-, insurgens, present participle of insurgere to rise up, from in- + surgere to rise -- more at SURGE
1 : a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent
2 : one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one's own political party

However, insurgent just has a negative connotation for some reason. Maybe it's because we know our media is full of crap...

[HEyHEY]

40. As I said above

I stopped watching US garbage with any kind of regularity a while back. But CBC and the BBC use it and it works well.

[Imagevision]

26. or perhaps....Iraqi citizens?

if someone came up your street and wiped out your entire family right in front of your eyes...would you be pissed, would YOU want to kill someone?

[Imagevision]

28. Bush lied us into this war and thousands die while his cronies get rich

All this from a punk who hid from going to war himself - that's the real slap in the face!

[Renew Deal]

16. Insurgents is a fair word.

Terrorists is not necessarily a fair word. It depends on the act. Attacking civilians would be terrorism. Attacking uniformed troops (and cops) is not really terrorism. Taht said, all war is terrorism.

[Imagevision]

20. Some of them are called surviving family members!

[still_one]

24. insurgents are Iraqiis

their are multiple factions fighting:

for example in the civil war the South was referred to as the rebels, and the North as the union

I don't see what the problem is using insurgent?

[Imagevision]

31. insurgents are Iraqi's? if they weren't - they sure as hell are now!!!

[HEyHEY]

33. Wha?

[still_one]

35. frankly we are in the middle of a civil war in Iraq

which we are directly responsible for. How bad it gets, no one knows, but when it is all over Iraq will end up as a Shiite theocracy, something the neocons never would have wanted

[HEyHEY]

41. I'm still praying they all vote in the communists one day

[still_one]

42. don't think that will happen

most likely a Shiite theocracy aligned with Iran

[HEyHEY]

43. Yeah, but if they voted in the commies it'd be such a kick to Bushco's nut

[still_one]

44. true

[Disturbed]

39. The Insurgency is a mixed bag of various groups and goals.

The Bush Regime along with the complicit Corp Media have managed to frame the entire Insurgency as "Terrorists" that are anti-democracy and attempting to stop Iraq from becoming a Democracy. The fact that some of the groups within the Insurgency are anti-U.S. Occupation and against Multi-Corp take over of Iraq is no longer mentioned.

Now that Iraq has an alliance with Iran a new dynamic is taking shape.

It is much more complicated that the Corp. Media has been portraying. It is not only Shi'ites against Sunnis. Almost half of the Kurds are Sunni. Not all Sunnis were Ba'athists either. Iraq has around 100 different political parties with quite divergent political bents, even a Communist Party.

[demgurl]

34. I always get on hubby about this.

The other day he used that 'i' word and I pleaded with him to use the words 'citizens of Iraq'. I told him we'd been through it all before and that they were people protecting their country and homes just like we would if someone had done that to us. He said one word is as good as another and I disagreed. If we are to change public perception then we must use the proper words. The RW has learned this lesson well. *Sigh* how can I ever get anyone else to do this if my own democratic husband will not do it?

demgurl

[AlCzervik]

38. Pretty soon it will "The Insurrection" full on.