Russia claims that Georgia is guilty of genocide in South Ossetia and that Saakashvili should be prosecuted for war crimes. Parents of children with Downs Syndrome say the word "retard" is hate speech. Just two examples that jumped out at me today.
I'm sure there is some legal definition of what a "war crime" or "genocide" is -- probably multiple ones -- and I could google it if that's what I was after. But when I learned these words, they were scary --evil like the world rarely knows. Now they get tossed around all the time. The sense that I get is that nowadays is civilians die in a war, then there are "war criminals" at work. Look, people, war is a nasty thing. People are going to die. And it's not like you're all pacifists, in which case I think I could more easily live with the hyperbole.
Has anyone else noticed this? Why is it happening? Were these terms thrown around just as much in the 60s and 70s, does anyone know?
(The "hate speech" example is admittedly kind of a silly one, but I think the same thing is going on on a lower level as well.)
― mitya, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:31 (seventeen years ago)
your retarded
― uh oh I'm having a fantasy, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:38 (seventeen years ago)
I think Russia is using the word "genocide" for the sole purpose of making an analogy to Kosovo's independence -- it's not a cheap overreaction so much as a careful piece of rhetoric.
― nabisco, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:42 (seventeen years ago)
ah yes. apparently i am retarded
― mitya, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:43 (seventeen years ago)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarian_intervention
― goole, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:43 (seventeen years ago)
your enemy must be evil, you must be doing the right thing, etc
― goole, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:44 (seventeen years ago)
Also I don't think "war crimes" should refer strictly to "evil like the world rarely knows" (no more than the word "crimes" should exclude petty theft) -- I think it would actually be kind of ideal (though probably impossible) for people to lower that bar and be aware that people can violate laws in wars without the accusation necessarily meaning you're Goebbels or anything, and for there to be a middle-ground of culpability between "genocidal maniac" and "did nothing wrong."
― nabisco, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:46 (seventeen years ago)
Oh and ALSO also there is a part of me that is kind of okay with people not having to go through some of the stuff it would take to have a great sense of proportion with regard to genocide and hate crimes and such
― nabisco, Thursday, 14 August 2008 19:56 (seventeen years ago)
It's woolly thinking, innit? If you don't like something, but you can't actually convince people that it's bad, try to convince them that it's X instead. You don't like X, do you?
Japan calls whaling protestors terrorists Lost In Translation is racist It could backfire - maybe people will start thinking that terrorism and racism aren't that bad, really
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 14 August 2008 20:14 (seventeen years ago)
What's with the lack of a sense of proportion in (global) public discourse nowadays?
Worst Seinfeld routine ever.
― mizzell, Thursday, 14 August 2008 20:22 (seventeen years ago)
I am waiting for four years down the line when Joe Sacco has done a comic about this.
― Abbott, Thursday, 14 August 2008 20:22 (seventeen years ago)
gotta give this bastard points for theatricality
Seconds after his sentence was upheld at the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Slobodan Praljak, shouted out angrily: “Praljak is not a criminal. I reject your verdict.”
The 72-year-old then raised a small brown bottle to his lips, and drank it in full view of the cameras filming the hearing. “I just drank poison,” he said. “I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction.”
The official statement from the ICTY said: “Mr Slobodan Praljak, one of six defence appellants in the Prlić et al. case, passed away today in HMC Hospital in The Hague.
“During the public pronouncement of the appeal judgement the appeals chamber confirmed his conviction and affirmed Mr Praljak’s sentence of 20 years of imprisonment. Immediately thereafter, Mr Praljak drank a liquid while in court, and quickly fell ill.
“Mr Praljak was immediately assisted by the ICTY medical staff. Simultaneously an ambulance was summoned. Mr Praljak was transported to a nearby hospital to receive further medical assistance where he passed.
“In accordance with standard procedures, at the request of the ICTY, the Dutch authorities have initiated an independent investigation which is currently ongoing. The tribunal has extended its condolences to the next of kin.”
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/nov/29/un-war-crimes-defendant-claims-to-drink-poison-at-trial-in-hague-slobodan-praljak
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 29 November 2017 17:55 (eight years ago)
Surprised Trump hasn't tweeted his sadness and condolences.
― Action of Boyle Man Prompts Visitor to Stay (Tom D.), Wednesday, 29 November 2017 18:08 (eight years ago)
don't worry, he'll be retweeting Spiked by tomorrow morning
― Centrist Pred (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 November 2017 18:10 (eight years ago)
well that's one claim that wasn't fake news.
― Ludo, Wednesday, 29 November 2017 19:02 (eight years ago)
Slobodan Praljak, what's on your iPod?
― Action of Boyle Man Prompts Visitor to Stay (Tom D.), Wednesday, 29 November 2017 21:39 (eight years ago)
what's your poison?
― calzino, Wednesday, 29 November 2017 21:42 (eight years ago)
He was literally a theatre director before the war and has an IMDb page so going out like a giant ham should come as no surprise.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695182/
― Wag1 Shree Rajneesh (ShariVari), Wednesday, 29 November 2017 21:48 (eight years ago)
lol!
― calzino, Wednesday, 29 November 2017 21:56 (eight years ago)
He is one of them on imdb whose work either has an implausibly high score or needs 5 more ratings to get a score.
― calzino, Wednesday, 29 November 2017 22:01 (eight years ago)