Using the term "Homicide Bomber"

[Roon]

Foxnews uses this term every since O'Really coined it on his show. As far as I know, Fox is the only one that uses it.

When I think of "homicide bomber", I think of someone who plants a bomb, then walks away to safety before it's detonated. I would consider Mcveigh a homicide bomber.

What I am wondering, is, what does Fox think it's trying to accomplish using this term? It just has me baffled and would like to know what others think.

[meegbear]

1. They've been using last since last year ...

I've heard * use it, so it's natural that they do. Fortunately, news organizations haven't.

[Roon]

7. Well, of course * would use it N/T

.

[ET Awful]

2. Any bomb is a homicide bomb if it kills people . . .

By definition, homicide is the killing of another human being. So, any bomb that kills other human beings (including those dropped from US bombers) is a homicide bomb.

At least that was the first thing that came to my mind the first time I heard Fox use the term.

[Brian Sweat]

3. Homicide bomber is redundant and newspeak.

Do not repeat it and do not listen to it. If you hear your someone use the term, ridicule them.

[Brian Sweat]

5. P.S. Bush is a homicide bomber.

[ewagner]

4. Limbaugh uses it too

don't know who coined it first.

It has become like a fraternity "secret password" among conservatives. By using the term when speaking to another and having them repeat it means you are a member of the VRWC in good standing.

[sangh0]

6. To answer your question

it's to take the attention away from the bomber. The phrase "Suicide bomber", in the minds of the mindless, puts too much emphasis on the bomber, and not enough on the victims.

[Roon]

13. Thank you

That clears it up for me, a little. Still think that referring as a "homicide bombing" is misleading. They may be taking away the emphasis on the bomber, but they are also taking away from what fighting terroism really entails.

[sangh0]

17. You are right

but they don't care about fighting terrorism

[bpilgrim]

23. they THRIVE in chaos...

that is what makes them hard to defeat since they will do anything to stir up the shit - the extremist that is, like the ones running the 'show' right now, the neo-cons

peace

[bpilgrim]

22. agreed and i believe it was coined by Israel

fox just doin what they are told ;->

peace

[arcane1]

8. Ari and the Chimp have used it too

and you are correct. The whole point of adding "suicide" to the term is to distinguish the method.

using the term 'homicide' does two things (or is intended to):


-Makes suicide bombing seem less martyr-like, more malicious. Suicide implies a sacrifice, which might make people think there is something worth sacrificing for


-obscures the fact that it is the US military that is doing homicide bombing when we press the red button from 1,000 miles away

[eyesroll]

9. I was about to post this very thing this morning...

and then IE died.

But, anyway -- I would think that the term "homicide bomber" actually trivializes non-suicide bombings. Wasn't Timothy McVeigh, by definition, a homicide bomber? What about the Unabomer? I'm sure their victims' families would be relieved to find out that their loved ones didn't die by "homicide."

And it's not like "suicide" is even a remotely positive thing in this country. We weren't calling them "martyr bombings" or "freedom-fighter bombings" or "fluffy bunny bombings."

[noonwitch]

14. Hey, I like the "fluffy bunny bombings" description

I have a mental picture of planes dropping stuffed bunnies all over Bagdad!

[truebrit71]

10. It is a stupid Faux-ism...

..and I refuse to acknowledge it...

Fox is a jag-off network...

If Murdoch is so "pro-family" and conservative how come his networks programme so much smut, and some of his newspapers are FAMOUS for their expolitation of tasty naked birds???

Answer: he's like every other fuggin' conservative...he's a hypocrit..

TB

[roughsatori]

11. O'really did not coin the phrase: it comes from the White House

Ari started at a press briefing and within hours Fox picked it up. It is propaganda and inaccurate. They began using it to describe what had been referred to as "suicide bomber." Everyone knew what that phrase meant.

If they were concerned about accuracy, as they claim, they would say "suicide/homicide bomber" to denote a person who set off an explosive device knowingly killing themselves and others. "Homicide bomber" for someone who set off a bomb and only killed others. Or "suicide bomber" for someone who only killed themselves.

[KAZ]

12. Link here.

http://www.wordspy.com/words/homicidebombing.asp

[Roon]

15. Great link.

Thanks

[oasis]

16. More proof that Fox News is a propaganda arm of the Bush White House.

[roughsatori]

19. Thanks for that great site, I just bookmarked it.

I'm a logocentric kind of guy, so it will enhance my life. :)Thanks.

[ixion]

18. is inaccurate and ridiculous

and S.O.P. for faux news.

[hadrons]

20. Murdoch's NY rag the Post was using it ...

but I noticed that they dropped it for the most part ... I few other papers did use it briefly, but I guess they realized the stupidity of it

[Kbowe]

21. What is irritating about FOX staff is that they think they intelligent

when they are really quite ignorant. Using that phrase was too "cute" by far and means absolutely nothing...especially to the families of the victims. This was just another phony PR move by O'Reilly. If a person kills himself or herself on purpose...it's suicide, plain and simple. If no one but the bomber is killed, it's still a suicide bombing.

[moondust]

24. Homosuicidal bomber.

There.

[Fescue4u]

25. I dunno, protecting the feelings of Muslims perhaps?

Since suicide bombers is pretty much the exclusive domain of Muslims.