Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to And incidentally, no, I wasn't suggesting or implying anything of the sort.

Yes, it is old news. That's why I chose it.
Sam F. — (archived)

It's also not nearly as appropriate as a simile.

Well, millions were terminated in the Holocaust, millions have been terminated through abortion. Tah-dah! You see, when you use grandstanding rhetoric, the analogy, simile, metaphor etc. doesn't need to be very logical and withstand anything beyond cursory analysis. It's a great soundbite that works on a base, emotional level, though.

At least Amnesty International didn't use the phrase "concentration camp".

But wait.....it could be argued Guantanamo is a concentration camp! Technically. Literally. Even though in today's vernacular, "concentration camp" does not merely mean "high-density detainment centre" or some such, but encompasses a great deal more horror and history. Yes, using "concentration camp" would have been just as appropriate as "gulag" as a simile.

But no. There's really no other way of intepreting the use of this rhetorical flourish as anything except a political attack on the US government. Unlike "War on Poverty" and "War on Drugs", political rhetoric used by politicians for political ends, Amnesty International is meant to be an apolitical organisation. Someone knew what they were doing when they chose that word.

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