Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Fighting abstract nouns

Heard on Chicago Public Radio this morning that the Bush administration doesn't like the 'global war on terrorism' anymore. No no, hang on, wait before you fall off the chair! The administration is quite happy with all the killing in Iraq(yeah yeah, those bastards are terrorists, why would they attack us on 9/11 instead?) and elsewhere. What the administration doesn't like is the tagline 'global war on terrorism' (GWOT). I am sure all the brave, young Americans fighting in Iraq will be very much relieved to hear this. Not to mention the poor Iraqis who are getting killed left, right and center. How heartening it is to know that one is not in the midst of a global war on terrorism anymore.

My spirits went up too - maybe we will not be fighting an abstract noun anymore. Not so fast. The newscaster reported that according to the Bush administration, we are all now involved in a 'global struggle against violent extremism' (GSAVE). Another abstract noun! How do you struggle against abstract nouns? As Terri Jones of the Monty Python fame asks in this beautiful piece written some years ago, how will an abstract noun surrender?

1 comment:

gawker said...

It's funny, the repubs are saying the exact same things they vilified the dems for saying before the elections. But the truth is, whatever they call it now, it doesnt make a bit of a difference, people will still get blown up and terrorist attacks will still increase. The damage has already been done.