Grizzly Bear wrote:
The title of your thread....Sounds like Idiocy!
From The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:
terrorism: n. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.
From Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law:
terrorism: n. the unlawful use or threat of violence esp. against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion
Let's see. How does hunting fit these definitions of terrorism? It isn't unlawful. It isn't done against persons or property for the purpose of coercing government or society. It isn't politically motivated. Doesn't seem to fit very well does it? A word of advice Ante: If you intend to use a certain word, learn it's proper meaning before using it! Failure to do so can really make you look like a jackass.
Grizzly Bear wrote:
A word of advice Ante: If you intend to use a certain word, learn it's proper meaning before using it! Failure to do so can really make you look like a jackass.
Bravo! According to GB what I say makes me look like a "jackass." I know this was intended to be an insult but I am not offended at all. Only a blatant speciesist will use and be offended by this label. I grew up with donkeys. They are beautiful, peaceful and intelligent animals who have been enslaved and forced into hard labor by homo rapiens for thousands of years. Now, if GB said that I sound like GB, I would have been extremely insulted, indeed.
So let's see why have I been "complemented?"
Grizzly Bear wrote:
Let's see. How does hunting fit these definitions of terrorism? It isn't unlawful. It isn't done against persons or property for the purpose of coercing government or society. It isn't politically motivated. Doesn't seem to fit very well does it? A word of advice Ante: If you intend to use a certain word, learn it's proper meaning before using it! Failure to do so can really make you look like a jackass.
You must mean, how does hunting fit your two selectively suitable definitions of terrorism?
A 1988 study by the United States Army found that over 100 definitions of the word “terrorism” have been used. The concept of terrorism is itself controversial because it is often used by states to delegitimize political or foreign opponents, and potentially legitimize the state's own use of terror against them. (source)
If we are going to define terrorism using couple of speciesist dictionaries, let's at least start with something simple and impartial.
From Merriam-Webster Online:
Main Entry: ter·ror·ism: the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion
Terror: 1: a state of intense fear
Coercion: the act, process, or power of coercing
Coerce: to restrain or dominate by force
Sounds to me like hunting, doesn't it? I think the above definition for terrorism fits hunting really well.
Let's see now what does the father of modern linguistics, Noam Chomsky say about terrorism?
It is close to a historical universal that our terrorism against them is right and just (whoever we happen to be), while their terrorism against us is an outrage. As long as that practice is adopted, discussion of terrorism is not serious. - - Noam Chomsky (source)
And then there is this great essay by a professor who teaches at University of Texas, Ph.D in critical thinking but who GB calls pseudo-intellectual. Here is the link for you to read:
Defining Terrorism.In this essay Steven Best gives you 16 general definitions of terrorism from dictionaries and other sources and 9 different sources of state and political definitions of terrorism. He examines in detail the meaning of the word and talks about state and species terrorism.
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