Homicide Bombing?

[Nasarius]

This is probably an old issue, but I've recently noticed it several times on the FoxNews website, and it annoys me. It ("homicide bomber") seems to be a blatantly slanted response to the term "suicide bomber". It makes no sense because it's redundant...take a look:

At least two killed as missiles slam into cars, building; action in response to Sunday's homicide bombing that killed 10

http://www.foxnews.com/

How about "Sunday's bombing"? Or, if the bomber killed himself in the act, then "suicide bombing" could be appropriately used to add information. But homicide bombing? Yeah Fox, you're fair and balanced all right

 

[HarryKeogh]

considering that every bombing that kills someone is a "homicide bombing" the term "suicide bombing" is required to differentiate between the two.

The NY Post is guilty of this semantic nonsense as well.

Have they ever stated a reason why they refuse to use term "suicide bomber''? (edited to add...ok a little googling got me this... Foxnews uses the term homicide bomber to emphasize how the bomber's aim is to kill as many people as possible, so I guess this makes it official, everyone at Foxnews is retarded.)

 

[Mr Manifesto]

Not only that, but in Islam suicide is strictly verboeten. However, sacrificing your life for a greater cause isn't. So, by calling them 'homicide bombers', they are actually lending validation to suicide bombing.

That's Fox for ya.

 

[Tmy]

Homicide bomber seems awkward.

Has anyone ever used that term in everyday speech? News is slanted all the time. For example Pakistan "President" Massuraff ( or whatvere his name is.) Hes a dictator, like Saddam was. No one calls him that though.

 

[renata]

As I recall, a long time ago Bush made a gaffe and instead of "suicide bomber" referred to an attack as an act of a "homicide bomber". When challenged, he defended himself and said since the goal the the act was homicide, and not suicide, his and not the previously accepted term was the correct one. FoxNews started using that term shortly thereafter- they are considered as leaning to the Republican side. Other media sources use the old terminology.

Edited to add
I did some research on my recollection. I cannot substantiate that the term originated with a mistake by Bush, as was my recollection. This article http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-041702bomber.story seems to indicate it originated consciously, with Ari Fleischer as part of administration policy and was picked up by some media sources.

 

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by Nasarius This is probably an old issue, but I've recently noticed it several times on the FoxNews website, and it annoys me. It ("homicide bomber") seems to be a blatantly slanted response to the term "suicide bomber". It makes no sense because it's redundant...take a look:

http://www.foxnews.com/

How about "Sunday's bombing"? Or, if the bomber killed himself in the act, then "suicide bombing" could be appropriately used to add information. But homicide bombing? Yeah Fox, you're fair and balanced all right

I don't know that either suicide-bombing or homicide-bombing is the best term to use. Since the purpose of the action is both homicide and suicide, the most accurate term would be homicide-suicide-bombing, but that's way too awkward.

Suicide-bombing implies that the point is suicide, but if that were the case, then these people would just blow themselves up far away from where anyone else could get hurt. Homicide-bombing seems more accurate because the goal is to kill as many other people as possible, but it doesn’t make any distinction between blowing yourself up to kill other people, and just leaving a bomb somewhere where it will kill people.

I usually use the term suicide-bombing, but sometimes I’ll use the term murder-suicide. Maybe suicide-terror would be a better choice all around, it seems to cover all the bases without being too awkward.

 

[DavidJames]

Man, talk about political correctness. Bombs, bombing, bombers... the intent is to kill people, straight forward, simple. What differentiates someone who drops bombs from a plane or plants the bomb and leaves, is in this case, the person is knowingly going to die. They are committing suicide, ergo suicide bomber. The homicide bomber is just another example of conservative political correctness (pro-life anyone), the fact that pretty much only Fox uses the term should say all that needs to be said.

 

[Tony]

I prefer the term "Islamakazi".

 

[crackmonkey]

I believe the 'homicide' instead of 'suicide' came at the behest of the Israelis, as a way of demeaning the act. Instead of a martyr, they want the bomber seen as a murderer. It just doesn;t work, though. Homicide bomber is redundant, awkward, and artificial.

 

[BillyTK]

Isn't the "bomber" part of the term the give-away with regards to the death/destruction aspect of their activity? Do FoxNews think that without the "homicide" qualification, people might get confused with, for instance, B52 bombers or even bomber jackets?

 

[DaChew]

If you're going to get all picky about the terms then neither really makes sense but you have to call it something. (I suppose that IF I was a bit more cynical I might suggest that it's only because FOX is using the term that certain people would waste their time worrying so much about it.) The term suicide bombing, from our point of view, might be more accurate considering that the person doing the bombing is killed along with the people that are his objective. Remember though, that, in the case of islamists, THEY don't believe that they are going to die. They actually believe exactly the opposite; that they become immortal in paradise as a result of the act. Therefore, it is homicide.