NationStates Jolt Archive

I've noticed the recent ridiculous habit of Americans calling suicide bombers as "homicide bombers". If you don't mention the suicide part, how do you differentiate them from other kinds of bombers?

I keep getting the term mixed up with "water bombers". You know, the ones that help put out forest fires?

I keep getting the term mixed up with "water bombers". You know, the ones that help put out forest fires?

Well, I guess they do murder fires... :p

But seriously, I prefer to call them homicide bombers when they don't kll themselves but kill others and suicide when they kill themselves as well. No change in the "seriousness" or "wrongness" of their actions but it makes it easier to distinguish them for me.

oh, you kidding right? hats so stupid. homicide is the legal term for a killer so wouldn't 'suicide bomber' cover this? suicide bombers are those bombers who take their own lives along wih those of their victims because they don't have a sothisticated enough bomb to detonate it from a distance. calling hem a 'homicide bomber' is just stating the obvious

I've noticed the recent ridiculous habit of Americans calling suicide bombers as "homicide bombers". If you don't mention the suicide part, how do you differentiate them from other kinds of bombers?


This is something that happened in the last year-I dont understand the change. We understand that a suicide bomber usually dies as a result of his attack.
I caught part of the "homiced bomber" change on the news one night, it somehow was supposed to lessen the glory of suicide bombing, but I missed the point.

I think its more a media thing-I dont know of any regular American citizens saying "homicide bomber".

Er, we have that habit now?

I must remember that for future reference and relay this message to about 249.99 million people, so that your statement can be true.

oh, you kidding right? hats so stupid. -snip-
Nah, hats aren't really stupid, they're quite alright once you get used to them :p

suicide bombers are those bombers who take their own lives along wih those of their victims because they don't have a sothisticated enough bomb to detonate it from a distance.

Not necessarily - intentional suicide bombers overwhelmingly act as they do out of desire for martyrdom rather than inability to overcome logistical/technological difficulties.

I believe that is a Fox Newsism.

I think they were hoping to eliminate the bomber from the concept of losses.

I don't hear people using the term homicide bomber.....

I've noticed the recent ridiculous habit of Americans calling suicide bombers as "homicide bombers". If you don't mention the suicide part, how do you differentiate them from other kinds of bombers?

There are two kinds of suicide bombers. I haven't heard the 'homicide bomber' phrase but suspect it's an attempt to come up with something descriptive of intention kill others to achieve martyrdom. The intention of the bomber is homicide.

"According to scholars of Muslim culture, so-called suicide bombings, however, are seen by Islamists and Tamils alike as instances of martyrdom, and should be understood as such. The Arabic term used is istishad, a religious term meaning to give one's life in the name of Allah, as opposed to intihar, which refers to suicide resulting from personal distress. The latter form of suicide is not condoned in Islamic teachings."

This is an in-depth article if you want to know more:

http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/frd.html

I've noticed the recent ridiculous habit of Americans calling suicide bombers as "homicide bombers". If you don't mention the suicide part, how do you differentiate them from other kinds of bombers?

americans don't seriously do this, do they?

Not necessarily - intentional suicide bombers overwhelmingly act as they do out of desire for martyrdom rather than inability to overcome logistical/technological difficulties.
Yeah, either that or bizarre religious reasons.

Aren't all bombers homicide bombers?

Not those that exclusively target property rather than human lives, anyhow (frex, the ALF, the Sons of Glendower or some elements of the IRA).

I make "bombs" (or have anyway)... I've never killed anyone with the IEDs I've made but maybe that's because I made them to train EOD personnel.

I think the objection to the use of the word "suicide" is because in the US we've been taught to believe that most suicides are the result of physical or mental illness and are therefor to be pittied.

The 'SplodyDopes are (arguably) not physically or mentally ill and are using their death to carry out murder (vs. murdering then committing suicide).

Thus, calling them "suicide bombers" inaccurately has connotations that imbue the bomber with a level of sympathy the (say) IRA never got. It's rather like the attempt to portray the Menendez brothers as poor innocent children who "lost their parents"... when they in fact killed them.

So I don't like using either "bomber", "Mad Bomber", or "Suicide Bomber". I don't find any of them to be suitable.

I think "'SplodyDope" - or "MurderMayrter" is better.

I think "'SplodyDope" - or "MurderMayrter" is better.

...no, we can't call them that. if we do, then reports of terrorist attacks will almost certainly make me giggle. and if i giggle at a terrorist attack, somebody will probably kick the crap out of me. :p

The reason for the change was to take the focus away from the bomber but on its victims. Suicide bomber makes you immediatly think of the guy blowing himself up...yeah...poor guy. When you call it a homicide bomber it puts the focus on the fact he was murdering...not just commiting suicide.

It was first started by Fox News and has slowly been propegating outwards. It makes some sense...hardly an issue to whine about IMHO.

The reason for the change was to take the focus away from the bomber but on its victims. Suicide bomber makes you immediatly think of the guy blowing himself up...yeah...poor guy. When you call it a homicide bomber it puts the focus on the fact he was murdering...not just commiting suicide.

It was first started by Fox News and has slowly been propegating outwards. It makes some sense...hardly an issue to whine about IMHO.


I dont know of anyone that hears suicide bomber that thinks "poor guy"

homcide bomber is redundant as the term bomber already expresses the destruction of property and/or life. an f-16 fighter pilot is a homicide bomber, a man that detonates a bomb from a distance is a homicide bomber, a man who blows himself up to kill others is a suicide bomber.

the bush administration and fox news have slowly tried to use the term "homicide bomber" in an attempt to remove all thought of why these people are blowing themselves up to kill others.

I've noticed the recent ridiculous habit of Americans calling suicide bombers as "homicide bombers". If you don't mention the suicide part, how do you differentiate them from other kinds of bombers?ETA usually warns the places it bombs. In those cases they don't kill anyone and are neither suicide nor homocide bombers.

Ah, but you see. Homicide in the United States is generally only used in regards to criminal murder.

Ah yes...the reasons they blow themselves up..."poor foreign policy", "poor economic policy", etc, etc, etc...poor them...they spend millions developing ways to kill people rather than feed their own people.

I find it almost sad that while these Muslims are blowing themselves up Christian missionaries are risking their lives to enter the countries these people come from to feed the very people they say they are killing for.

"Homicide bomber."

That's just silly.