distinctions
February 23, 2005
Important Distinctions
Posted by Anthony Gregory at February 23, 2005 02:28 PM
When a stranger puts a gun to your head, and threatens you with injury if you do not turnover the contents of your wallet, it's robbery.
When the government does it it's tax policy.
When an organized crime syndicate prints massive amounts of cash on worthless pieces of paper, it's counterfeiting.
When the government does it it's monetary policy.
When some reprobate breaks into your home, strips you away from nonviolent activity and takes you into his lair and locks you in a cage, it is breaking and entering and kidnapping.
When the government does it it's drug policy.
When some criminal street gang shoots and kills you in cold blood while engaging in a violent conflict with another criminal gang, it's murder.
When the government does it it's foreign policy.
When a man forces you to work for him, beats or kills you if you don't comply or attempt to escape, and is not subject to any real enforcement when he crosses the legal protections nominally afforded to you, it is slavery.
When the government does it it's conscription policy.
Just so you all know.
5 Comments:
Jew said to post a comment, so here ya go. I vas only obeying orders!
Labelling is a tricky business. It is often helpful to define words of art or concepts under discussion. But, as Anthony Gregory's post illustrates, terminology can also be used to mystify and obscure. Labels can also be used as a weapon, eg charging another as a racist or a homophobe. Even ideological pigeonholes can be used as little more than a kind of epithet, eg calling a libertarian a "neocon".
Your attention to definitional issues is much appreciated.
Vache Folle (so-called) said: "Your attention to definitional issues is much appreciated."
I despise this type of third person writing... "is much appreciated'. Or, I should say, this type of writing is much despised. :)
vache folle, your appreciation is appreciated.
stephan, what you're complaining about is the passive voice, not the third person. And please don't pick fights in my comment section.
Stephan wrote:
"I despise this type of third person writing... "is much appreciated'. Or, I should say, this type of writing is much despised. :)"
I have met quite a few people who have a visceral dislike of the passive voice, and a number of my writing instructors over the years have shown a strong preference for the active voice. It would, therefore, be perfectly cromulent usage to write "Such writing is despised."
I like the passive voice and find it useful in a number of circumstances, such as when I want to express appreciation but do not want to give the impression that my personal appreciation is anything to write home about or that the appreciation is limited only to me.
Or, one might use it where it would seem too arrogant to say something like "One appreciates your attention to definitional issues" or to use the "royal we".
Also, the passive voice is useful in yet other circumstances, eg as a form of dynamic control in writing to permit one to have varying levels of emphasis.
One of my favorite uses was when I served as a policeman. It was more effective for some reason to say "Parking is forbidden here" than "I forbid you to park here" or "You can't park here".
One irritating use, in my opinion, is the half hearted apology, eg "Mistakes were made." I half expect a government spokesman to come out with "Lies were told; people were killed; responsibility has been taken."
I took no offense at Stephan's criticism, and I thank him for the opportunity to defend the passive voice. I hope I have done it some justice.
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