what's in a word?

[ish mailian]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579495863883782316

On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 2:13 PM, ish mailian <ishmailian at gmail.com> wrote:

> The west? Is that, like California west, or the wild west, the wild west
> end, the west is the best?
>
> the NYT essay points out the obvious, that, while America may be called
> the west, or part of it, it's not Europe. It's dangerous in America, in
> all, or most of it, you might,as the lyrics go, "and you might get shot.
> Even the hero gets a bullet in the chest once upon a time...in the West.
> Look at the most dangerous places in America, from Alaska to Patagonia.
> Brazil is dangerous. With a Capital D. America is where you might get shot.
> Not Europe. So, no kidding. America is tough, full of gums and gangs and,
> well, young people on the move. Though is much talk of the graying of
> America, it's young, forever young with guns. And the hot button issue of
> the primary, gun laws, ain't gonna do anything. It's so much more complex
> than access to weapons. But go on, man I'm with you and that old Jeremiah
> was a Bull Frog Guy, toss all the guns and make love, baby, but don't think
> that's gonna make this wast over here like that west over there.
>
> The United States is a far more precarious place.
>
>
>
>
> Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate the outpouring of empathy and
> concern. I really do. But if truth be told, I feel a whole lot more secure
> here in the French capital -- or in any "terror-alerted" European city --
> than in just about any U.S. town or city these days, where the chances of
> falling prey to a rabid, gun-crazed lunatic while you're going about your
> daily business seems significantly higher.
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 1:50 PM, rich <richard.romeo at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> doesnt get much better than Delillo's loose definition from Mao II:
>> *the language of being noticed, the only language the West understands.*
>>
>> rich
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 1:46 PM, Danny Weltman <danny.weltman at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> If "traditional" actually means "original," the "traditional" meaning of
>>> the term is the intimidation undertaken by the government during the Reign
>>> of Terror in the French Revolution. If by "traditional" we just mean "what
>>> it has meant up until recently," then the "traditional" meaning has changed
>>> over time, as is the case with most politically charged words (and with a
>>> good chunk of less politically charged words, too). A good summary can be
>>> found in section 1 of this article:
>>> http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/terrorism/
>>>
>>> On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 10:38 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I always thought the core 'traditional' meaning of the word was to
>>>> kill/attack citizens when not at war.
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 1:35 PM, Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> > This is the traditional meaning of the word, I always thought.
>>>> >
>>>> > Non-terrorist gun killing may be the greater threat in one sense, but
>>>> a
>>>> > lesser one in another.  Fear can change people in bad ways, but THAT
>>>> ship
>>>> > has sailed.
>>>> >
>>>> > On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 12:44 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> >>
>>>> >> So, by this logic, the motive of the killer determines whether the
>>>> >> violence is an act of terrorism.  Only if the intent is to instill a
>>>> sense
>>>> >> of danger/terror in the surviving populace would the act be properly
>>>> called
>>>> >> terroeism.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> David Morris
>>>> >>
>>>> >> On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 11:23 AM, Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at gmail.com>
>>>> >> wrote:
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>> "
>>>> >>> As one friend pointed out, Paris is not actually any more dangerous
>>>> than
>>>> >>> before Nov. 13. What's changed, dramatically, is our perception of
>>>> imminent
>>>> >>> danger. And that makes all the psychological difference."
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>> And that's what makes it TERRORISM.
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>>
>>>> http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/12/03/does-motive-matter-in-mass-shootings-like-the-one-in-san-bernadino/even-in-paris-guns-look-like-a-greater-threat-than-terrorism
>>>> >>
>>>> >>
>>>> >
>>>> -
>>>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
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