They hate it when you call them “Daesh” because Daesh means bigot
The term “Daesh” is strategically a better choice because it is still accurate in that it spells out the acronym of the group’s full Arabic name, al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham. Yet, at the same time, “Daesh” can also be understood as a play on words — and an insult. Depending on how it is conjugated in Arabic, it can mean anything from “to trample down and crush” to “a bigot who imposes his view on others.” Already, the group has reportedly threatened to cut out the tongues of anyone who uses the term.
Why do they care so much? The same reason the United States should. Language matters.
With some 30,000 to 50,000 fighters, Daesh is a relatively small group, and propaganda is central to its growth strategy. Whether hijacking popular Twitter hashtags or using little known distribution channels to post videos to YouTube, their leadership knows that the war of words online is just as key to increasing its power and influence as the actual gruesome acts they commit on the ground.
By using the militants’ preferred names, the US government implicitly gives them legitimacy. But referring to the group as Daesh doesn’t just withhold validity. It also might help the United States craft better policy.
Here is the full article from the Boston Globe where that quoted text came from….
Yup, turns out bigots sure hate being called what they are, bigots. The kind of bigots who want to trample down and crush anyone who stands in their way. Pretty apt description.
When you think of American bigotry what kind of people come to mind?
And of course the kind of people who rage against Islam, the kind of people who are so very Christian that they would turn away the refugee coming to us for sanctuary, well those people couldn’t possibly be bigots themselves, could they?
I’m not saying the Republican party is ISIS. ISIS is a massive poop swastika, whereas the Republican party is simply full of shit. But feces is the tie that binds them, a bigoted tie of fear, hate and bloodlust that can no longer be ignored. In the last four months I, like many other sane Americans, have watched in horror as the Republican party has totally lost their fucking minds, and this week was simply the worst. Donald Trump can propose Nazi policies and every single other Republican running for President is afraid to call him out on it because they all want to pick up his Nazi policy supporting supporters. That is where the GOP base is right now. That is the sordid state of affairs among the Republican party at this moment. Yes, ISIS is a massive poop swastika, but how long can we pretend that the religious bigot party in America isn’t the closest thing we have to them when they start demanding policies once supported by the actual swastika supporting people?
A bigot who imposes his views on others. Daesh. An apt desciption indeed.
