Seeing demons
Demonize is the hot verb in political discourse these days.
"The Wall Street Journal ignores GOP priorities to accuse Obama of demonizing his opponents."
"The NRA president said that the commission was demonizing the Second Amendment."
To demonize an opponent is to make him sound really bad, so that when you abuse him, you can claim he's only getting what he deserves. Arkansas legislators have demonized women, to justify the anti-abortion bills the lawmakers are passing. "The colonel's lady and Judy O'Grady are demons under the skin," as Kipling didn't quite say.
The name of the Wake Forest University athletic teams is Demon Deacons. I wonder if they ever get demonized, as in "Tar Heels demonize Wake, demand exorcism of fieldhouse." Wake players could be either demonized or deaconized, for that matter. Both sound unflattering, at least to non-Baptists.
From a review of "The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War":
"The French and Indian War began the glorious process of our own independence but precipitated our regretful destruction of native Americans' way of life and culture."
Regretful means, obviously, "full of regret." I don't think the people who were busily destroying native Americans' way of life and culture felt any regrets at the time.
It was only much later that society began to view that destruction as "unfortunate, deplorable" — that is, regrettable, which is the word the reviewer was reaching for.
Why did the European leave?
A headline in the editorial section of the Sunday paper — "The European Left and it's trouble with Jews" — prompted a note from Richard W. Chapman: "Where is the apostrophe police when we need them?" Over at the doughnut shop, probably, while the apostrophes are on a rampage. Or am I demonizing the punctuation cops?
"It was cut and dry, no ifs, ands or buts. There's a right way, a wrong way and an Army way." In this case, the right way is cut and dried.
Nobody seems to have a generally accepted explanation of the phrase's origin. I've heard that it has to do with pioneers turning meat into jerky. I've also heard that that story is malarkey.
Latest in Words
-
Mexican streak
From "Kearny's March: The Epic Creation of the American West, 1846-1847" by Winston Groom.
- May 23, 2013
-
Where or when
"Two women were arrested and charged in a robbery where one of the suspects is accused of carrying pepper spray as well as her 10-month-old child."
- May 16, 2013
-
Nixes on Exes
"I went to the George Strait concert and heard him sing 'All My Exes Live In Texas.' I knew that was wrong, but I didn't say anything.
- May 9, 2013
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: The crash of Martha Shoffner
Now, Maxine, if Martha Shoffner were a Republican, you know you wouldn't be sad about…
- on May 24, 2013
-
Re: Say goodbye
Because Dustin McDaniel is a law abiding SOS? How dare he speak out after his…
- on May 24, 2013
-
Re: The crash of Martha Shoffner
I don't see sadness either. Every day the Lord sends the criminal justice incarcerates a…
- on May 23, 2013
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
