The fact that many phrases aren’t meant literally, especially as their use increases in frequency, is a frustrating fact. I wouldn’t call people using a phrase with a generally understood meaning is inherently disingenuous though.
The trick is, it’s not a commonly used phrase. The chunk of the English speaking world that hears ‘Death to America’ and thinks ‘As peaceful as possible an end to the malign actions of the american government and it’s supporters’ is tiny. The vast majority of people just hear it as hate, and even a fair sized chunk of the people who are shouting it are shouting it in the literal, hateful sense of ‘kill the Americans.’ You can’t tell which is which without a conversation, and shouting ‘death to’ is not conducive to letting people have the conversation that would let them tell the difference between a person who wants fewer murders and one who wants more.
Yeah, it’s sort of a slogan to some people, but it’s a shit slogan. “Free Palestine!” means ‘free Palestine.’ "End apartheid!’ means ‘end apartheid.’ “Death to america!” is ambiguous, at best, and only serves the interest of the American propaganda wing by letting them claim everyone is out to kill Americans because they are American, making their actions into justified self-defense. Don’t help the propagandists. Don’t support the narrative. Supporting their narrative is supporting them. I don’t think that’s what you want.
I mean, I disagree. You said a shitty thing and you believe genocide is a positive thing. Like I said earlier, everyone on the internet gets a voice, even the really ignorant and evil people. I’m glad you’re privileged enough to be afforded the ability to say very stupid things like that though.
Again, insisting that people are calling for genocide especially after clarifying the meaning of the phrase is just bad faith at this point. You can argue it’s unclear or bad optics, but it’s not calling for genocide. It’s calling for the end to the systems that produce mass death and exploitation.
I’m not down with the phrasing my guy. Nothing you say will make me say death to any country/group is remotely appropriate. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you can and do say it. I’m more glad I can and will say you’re wrong for it.
Nah dawg I’m not going to say death to America regardless of what you say. I will hold that using a phrase like that is ignorant, privileged, harmful and stupid. To give a real answer, my family came here from Syria and Ireland. In both instances to escape violence and persecution. I consistently work to better my community and am able to do so. I regularly act to make tangible improvements on a community level, unfortunately I don’t have the power/resources to do so on a global level. I don’t like a lot of the foreign policy the United States employs. However, I disagree with you on a fundamental and spiritual level to a degree that can’t be put to words.
The fact that many phrases aren’t meant literally, especially as their use increases in frequency, is a frustrating fact. I wouldn’t call people using a phrase with a generally understood meaning is inherently disingenuous though.
The trick is, it’s not a commonly used phrase. The chunk of the English speaking world that hears ‘Death to America’ and thinks ‘As peaceful as possible an end to the malign actions of the american government and it’s supporters’ is tiny. The vast majority of people just hear it as hate, and even a fair sized chunk of the people who are shouting it are shouting it in the literal, hateful sense of ‘kill the Americans.’ You can’t tell which is which without a conversation, and shouting ‘death to’ is not conducive to letting people have the conversation that would let them tell the difference between a person who wants fewer murders and one who wants more.
Yeah, it’s sort of a slogan to some people, but it’s a shit slogan. “Free Palestine!” means ‘free Palestine.’ "End apartheid!’ means ‘end apartheid.’ “Death to america!” is ambiguous, at best, and only serves the interest of the American propaganda wing by letting them claim everyone is out to kill Americans because they are American, making their actions into justified self-defense. Don’t help the propagandists. Don’t support the narrative. Supporting their narrative is supporting them. I don’t think that’s what you want.
“Death to X country” is a shitty thing to say point blank period.
DEATH TO THE USA
DEATH TO ISRAEL
DEATH TO THE UK
DEATH TO FRANCE
DEATH TO GERMANY
DEATH TO THE NETHERLANDS
DEATH TO ITALY
DEATH TO ALL IMPERIALIST NATIONS
I mean, I disagree. You said a shitty thing and you believe genocide is a positive thing. Like I said earlier, everyone on the internet gets a voice, even the really ignorant and evil people. I’m glad you’re privileged enough to be afforded the ability to say very stupid things like that though.
Edit because I forgot to add the 💋
Again, insisting that people are calling for genocide especially after clarifying the meaning of the phrase is just bad faith at this point. You can argue it’s unclear or bad optics, but it’s not calling for genocide. It’s calling for the end to the systems that produce mass death and exploitation.
I’m not down with the phrasing my guy. Nothing you say will make me say death to any country/group is remotely appropriate. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you can and do say it. I’m more glad I can and will say you’re wrong for it.
Who cares if you’re down with the phrasing? You’ve made it clear that you’re openly acting in bad faith.
I can’t have good faith about the statement.
Doubling down on the permissibility of nationalism for a country that’s committed atrocity after atrocity is a shitty thing to do point blank period
Nah dawg I’m not going to say death to America regardless of what you say. I will hold that using a phrase like that is ignorant, privileged, harmful and stupid. To give a real answer, my family came here from Syria and Ireland. In both instances to escape violence and persecution. I consistently work to better my community and am able to do so. I regularly act to make tangible improvements on a community level, unfortunately I don’t have the power/resources to do so on a global level. I don’t like a lot of the foreign policy the United States employs. However, I disagree with you on a fundamental and spiritual level to a degree that can’t be put to words.
“How dare you condemn the genocidal imperialist US! Don’t you know that I, personally, benefit from it?”
Thats true I am the only one to have benefitted historically. I can disagree with foreign policy without saying death to America.