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New Book: Shocked and Awed a Dictionary of the War on Terror

gretavo's picture
Submitted by gretavo on Mon, 2011-02-21 01:06.

Brand new (March 2011) just got it as a handy reference guide... not particularly truth friendly (or particularly unfriendly...)

 

Cover Image


Shocked and Awed

A Dictionary of the War on Terror

Fred Halliday

Only available in US and Territories, Canada, Saint Pierre, Philippines
Paperback, 360 pages
ISBN: 9780520268708
March 2011
$25.95

Part reference, part polemic, part compelling snapshot of our times, Shocked and Awed
is a bristling arsenal of potent weapons: words. Fred Halliday's
unorthodox dictionary defines hundreds of words and phrases used about
9/11, the wars and other events that have followed it, and ongoing
issues linked to those events. He shows how the War on Terror, itself a
fascinating linguistic construct, has brought us not just new words,
such as "Gitmo," and new imports, such as "jihad," but also new ways of
using existing language, such as "extraordinary rendition." His
definitions include religious, political, and military terms; famous
quotes and phrases; cultural phenomena and personalities; euphemisms of
war; important Middle Eastern vocabulary; stereotypes and insults; and
much more. Taken together, these words tell a new story about the power
and malleability of language and its important role in the central
conflicts of our day. An essential reference, Shocked and Awed will keep
readers informed and up-to-date on the global vocabulary war being
waged around us in the twenty-first century.

 

 


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juandelacruz's picture

Amigo the Movie

Submitted by juandelacruz on Mon, 2011-02-21 02:53.

Nice that book is available here. I just saw an article on a movie that looks worth watching which I have not seen myself but look forward to. It is about the US invasion of the Philippines. This was done by a US indy film maker.

http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/online-movies/amigo-movie-2010

I think you can watch it on the link above.

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Chris's picture

"Truthers" and "Bush" and

Submitted by Chris on Mon, 2011-02-21 14:44.

"Truthers" and "Bush" and "the government" oh my! This is why I always say Americans and Israelis did 9/11. Not only is it closer to the truth than saying "the government" or Bush did it but its an easier "sell" so to speak. The media loves to frame it as either "Al Qaeda" or "the government". Makes it so much easier to push the notion that it was "Al Qaeda" when you make people think the alternative theory was some kind of government wide plot including Congress and the postal service. And of course Bush with a TNT plunger.

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gretavo's picture

exactly right

Submitted by gretavo on Mon, 2011-02-21 14:51.

I should make clear that I don't endorse this book in any way except as a good snapshot of standard leftish mainstream views on the subject. just knowing, as you point out, that one conventional understanding of truthers is that they think "Bush blew up the towers" can help us become better at presenting our case. now I wonder why Jon Gold doesn't say something like "If you look at hit pieces they always say we accuse Bush of being behind 9/11, so we should in fact avoid making this claim" like he does about controlled demolition?

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