Holocaust: Is the word only allowed to be used for one subject?

[Balderdash]

I was watching Rachel Maddow last night as I almost always do and she had
my new hero on, Rep. Alan Grayson, who gave the Republicans what they so
richly deserve. Anyway, Rachel was giving Rep. Grayson crap for using the
word "Holocaust" in connection with the number of Americans that die each
year because they don't have health insurance. I thought the word was
appropriate and it bothered me that somehow we've lost an entire word to
one event. Of course it is Holocaust but there will be other holocausts and
something like 44,000 Americans dying each year because they can't afford
health care is to me an appropriate place and event for the word Holocaust.

JMHO and .02, what do you guys think?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Am I the only person who's ever watched The Princess Bride?

[tridim]

3. That's the first thing I thought of too

"Well why didn't you list that among our assets in the first place?"

[T Wolf]

10. First thing I thought of as well. Until the movie, I had never heard of a holocaust cloak.

It can protect the wearer from fire? Impressive.

[Hippo_Tron]

2. "holocaust" with a lowercase "h" can be used in multiple contexts, IMO

If Grayson had been comparing 44,000 people dying each year due to lack of health care to the Nazis slaughtering 6 million people then it would have been a stupid comparison. But he wasn't doing that and his use of "holocaust" in context was clearly with a lowercase "h".

[timeforpeace]

21. If it furthers our agenda, a new definition is OK.

[joeybee12]

4. I think it's a word that should be used sparingly...the term has definite

meaning for a great many people, and it only has that definite meaning...even if he didn't mean to use it that way, it came across to many people that way.

[Balderdash]

6. And I think that that is a problem.

"The Holocaust" is something that we as human beings should never forget but there
are other holocausts that need our time and attention too and I think the word
was used in context and was appropriate.

[joeybee12]

9. I'm not sure it can be used in context...he may have meant it a certain way,

but the word is interpreted a certain way automatically by a lot of people...its dictionary definition really has beceom irrelevant. He could have said "wholesale slaughter"...gets the point across.

[damntexdem]

27. Too bad. They don't OWN the word.

Anyone with any sense could see what Grayson meant. Unfortunately, Rachel lacked sense in this regard.

[cherokeeprogressive]

29. Who's "They"? n/t

[emulatorloo]

31. Republicans filled with false outrage n/t

[Recursion]

5. "holocaust" as a common noun means "destruction by fire"

Though it has a history specifically of meaning violent pogroms against Jews dating back to the 1000's. Rhetorically it's a word whose shock value tends to overshadow the argument one is making.

I'll add that a lot of anti-abortion activists use the word "holocaust" to describe America's abortion rate.

[Nikki Stone1]

13. That meaning goes back to blood sacrifices by fire in the Bible, like Abraham and Isaac

A recent translation of the Catholic scriptures used in church will refer to Abraham preparing "the holocaust" when he is getting ready to sacrifice Isaac. Of course that ends up not happening.

[eShirl]

15. like many words it has more than one meaning

[WeDidIt]

7. I'm a firm believer that there is a difference between a holocaust and The Holocaust n/t

[Howardx]

8. +1

[connecticut yankee]

11. Agreed

It should not become the sole property of one group of people.

[Balderdash]

12. I agree... nt

[old guy]

16. I'm with ya.

[slackmaster]

18. Thank you for respecting our language

It is a great one.

[eShirl]

14. completely agree

[Bluenorthwest]

17. The Holocaust is called the Shoah in Hebrew

and by those meaning to be specific. I have been told the word is closer to the English 'calamity' than our word holocaust. I'd say the shoah refers to one thing only. But holocaust is word with many meanings and places in literature.



Edited for mistakes of typing-new laptop, not used to the weeboard keyboard...

[Recursion]

22. Ironically, it's rather close to "naqba"

What a world we live in...

[gauguin57]

19. Tom Lehrer: "No need for you to miss a minute of the agonizing holocaust!"

From his hilarious early 1960s ditty "So Long, Mom (A Song for World War III)".

So long, Mom,
I'm off to drop the bomb,
So don't wait up for me.
But while you swelter
Down there in your shelter,
You can see me
On your TV.

While we're attacking frontally,
Watch Brinkally and Huntally,
Describing contrapuntally
The cities we have lost.
No need for you to miss a minute
Of the agonizing holocaust. (Yeah!)

Little Johnny Jones he was a U.S. pilot,
And no shrinking vi'let was he.
He was mighty proud when World War Three was declared,
He wasn't scared,
No siree!

And this is what he said on
His way to Armageddon:

So long, Mom,
I'm off to drop the bomb,
So don't wait up for me.
But though I may roam,
I'll come back to my home,
Although it may be
A pile of debris.

Remember, Mommy,
I'm off to get a commie,
So send me a salami,
And try to smile somehow.
I'll look for you when the war is over,
An hour and a half from now!

[mucifer]

20. great song that uses the term appropriately. Genocide.

[GodlessBiker]

23. The word should be used sparingly, like Nazi. Things will ease up in a few generations...

from now, I think, but when you have living survivors of the Holocaust it is emotionally difficult to use the term in any context which may dilute its tragic significance.

[joeybee12]

24. I agree...people don't seem to realize that because of THE Holocaust

the word itself has almost become synonymous with that, with THE or not.

[pennylane100]

25. by allowing the term to apply to only one atrocity

demeans the other acts of mass brutality. There were millions of russians killed during and after WWII and the brutality is Rwanda and Cambodia is be beyoynd comprehension. These, in my mind, were true holocausts and I am sorry Rachael, but you are not the keeper of the word.

[invictus]

30. +1

[damntexdem]

26. I usually love Rachel, but she drove me crazy with Grayson.

He kept trying to get he focus back where it belongs, on health reform. But she was hung up on the use of 'holocaust.'

On the other hand, Grayson DID commit a major sin against Congressional decorum: he told the truth. ;-)

[Balderdash]

28. Yeah, me too vis-a-vie Rachael.

He was blunt but at least he wasn't lying or trying to stir
up fake outrage like the Republicans have done.