A User's Guide to America's New War

["M. Adams" <galture@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

While reading Robert Fisk's article in the Independent
on the pressure on journalists to toe the line
(http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=362545),
he mentioned a book that might well be worth a read.

"Collateral Language:  A User's Guide to America's New
War" examines the use of loaded terms rampant in the
media's handling of such things as 9/11 and the war on
Iraq.  If anyone has read it I'd be interested in
their comments on it.

Fweb site publisher's website
(http://www.nyupress.org/product_info.php?products_id=2978)
:

Collateral Language $16.95

A User's Guide to America's New War
Edited by John Collins and Ross Glover

 "Words are weapons in our new war, and all citizens
are combatants. As a dictionary of post-911 rhetoric,
Collateral Language shows us why we need smart books,
not smart bombs. Brilliantly conceived, this book
defines the axis of intelligence."
?Amitava Kumar author of Passport Photos and
Bombay-London-New York

Terrorism, jihad, fundamentalism, blowback. These and
other highly charged terms have saturated news
broadcasts and everyday conversation since September
11th. But to keen ears their meanings change depending
upon who's doing the talking. So what do these words
really mean? And what are people trying to say when
they use them?

Each of the thirteen essays in Collateral Language
offers an informed perspective on a particular word or
phrase that serves as a building block in the edifice
of post-World Trade Center rhetoric. In some cases
this involves a systematic examination of the term in
question (e.g. "anthrax" or "unity")its historical
roots, the development of its meaning and usage in the
U.S. over time, and its employment in the current
context. In other cases authors provide a set of more
philosophical or autobiographical reflections on a
particular idea (e.g. "vital interests" or "evil"),
suggesting a need to consider the ethical and moral
implications of using the concept uncritically. In
every instance, however, the overriding goal is to
give the reader a set of practical tools to analyze
the political language that surrounds all of us at
this critical point in our nation's history.

Witty, informative and highly readable, Collateral
Language is a lexicon of political terminology and an
indispensable tool for understanding the current
conflict."




=====
Mark Adams

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