Comments on: Final word on gulags

By: dearkitty

dearkitty — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 06:39:00 +0000

Pentagon on Guantanamo Bay: see here.

By: John S

John S — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 20:57:00 +0000

Sorry, N.I.B., but what you deride as ‘word games’ are actually valuable weapons in the all-important War On Metaphor.

By: N.I.B.

N.I.B. — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 18:17:00 +0000

Can't be bothered to read that link, but you might consider that the word "gulag" does have a very real meaning to *millions* of bereaved families in the former Soviet Union.

As does the name 'Stalin', which is worth remembering next time some loon like they have at Samizdata compares, say, fuel duty or the EU or the hunting ban to 'Stalinism'. As also the name 'Mao'...

I could go on, but I'm actually getting quite bored of these word games where everyone alternately tries to claim the moral high ground, it's like a group of kids shimmying up gym ropes, each daring one another to get a bit higher.

(And yes, I know I just did exactly the same thing.)

By: John B

John B — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 17:20:00 +0000

Possibly Lubjianka (spelt wrongly i’m sure, sadly not in my phone’s dictionary) would be more apt, but a little less culturally relevant…

By: David Duff

David Duff — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 15:50:00 +0000

I thought perhaps I should just make clear that although I am an annoying old guy, I'm not Annoying Old Guy. Clear?

But he's spot on!

By: Annoying Old Guy

Annoying Old Guy — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 15:28:00 +0000

And how many people have been interrogated to death at Guantanomo? Zero seems to be the best current estimate. Not to mention that if you had any actual idea how the gulag worked, you’d know that it had nothing to do with interrogation. Snark has its place, but it should have at least a little bit of a relationship with reality.

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 13:13:00 +0000

the word "gulag" does have a very real meaning to *millions*

A very real meaning which would not be lost on the families of people incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, I'm sure.

By: David Duff

David Duff — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 13:03:00 +0000

Can’t be bothered to read that link, but you might consider that the word "gulag" does have a very real meaning to *millions* of bereaved families in the former Soviet Union. The same courtesy and sympathy that would stop one from bandying Auschwitz around in loose metaphors should apply here.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 12:07:00 +0000

And, with the ‘Freedom Archipelago’ thing, fafblog also mentions probably the most direct reason for thinking the ‘gulag’ term appropriate.