Academic

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS on language. Talking of hypocrisy, though, how do you like the way that the ?

By Glenn Reynolds

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS on language.

Talking of hypocrisy, though, how do you like the way that the words activist and humanitarian have suddenly made their appearance in our media? Activist is employed to describe a core group of Turks and Arabs, very many of them identifiable by name as affiliates or members or emulators of the Muslim Brotherhood. (I suppose in fairness it also covers such figures as the credulous Irishman Denis Halliday, who used to campaign so loudly for the lifting of sanctions on Saddam Hussein.) And humanitarian is used to describe the materials that these worthies are seeking to donate to Hamas. But is it really humanitarian to make contributions to a ruling party that has a totalitarian and racist ideology and is in regular receipt of nonhumanitarian aid from Syria and Iran, two of the most retrograde and aggressive dictatorships in the world?

Terrorist and genocidaire are such harsh words. On the other hand, useful idiot gives them too much credit.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on June 07, 2010 (boomark / email).