Today I caught a ride ("tremp") at the T junction to Beit El just as the 12 noon radio newscast began. They kept talking about "rackettot" in Sderot, which hit a nursery school. I had never heard kassams, also spelled qassam, called "rackettot" before.
Kassams are rockets developed by the Arabs specifically for attacking Israel.
Kassams are rockets developed by the Arabs specifically for attacking Israel.
Kassams are dangerous. Only G-d's mercy and miracles have prevented more deaths and injuries from those weapons.
"Rackettot" just sound too cute for words. They remind me of "mouflettot," the Moroccan crepe, slathered with butter and honey, traditionally served at the post-Passover Mamouna celebrations. "Rackettot" sort of rhymes with Gepetto, Pinocchio's "father." "Kassam" has much more "zip" and violence in its sounds.
Nothing's by chance, and I have no doubt that this new "Hebrew term" was chosen to make the kassams, their builders and launchers, you know, those Arab terrorists, seem more benign and harmless, like Gepetto.
Remember, as Shakespeare would have said, if he was alive today:
A kassam by any other name is still a kassam, a very
dangerous weapon!
6 comments:
Other interesting whitewashing used by Israeli media:
- 'harei hamercaz' - weather reports rarely mention temperatures/rain in the Shomron, but rather the 'central mountains'
- 'ha'gaduh' - lit. bank as in west bank. Again, the point is the use the terms 'Judea and Shomron' as little as possible, if even at all.
- 'pa'il shalom' - lit. peace activist. Used to be used for anyone west of centre including anarchists, but now includes only everyone left of centre except anarchists who are 'pa'il small' lit. left-wing activists.
- right-wing this, extreme right-wing that. Though foreign news might report about nationalists in other countries, here, right-wingers are never, ever 'nationalists'.
- You will never hear the word 'patriotic' in the media, ever. 'Zionist' is also too strong a word.
- Rav Ovadia will ALWAYS be painted in a bad light, this allows us to keep thinking that religion is bad, and that non-religion is better.
Unfortunately, it does not seem that Israeli children are taught critical thinking. Batya, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Josh, thanks for the additions to the list.
Have you ever heard the term "rackettot?"
In general, when someone in Shiloh says they're going to the "merkaz" I correct them, saying that Shiloh is more "merkaz" than the coast.
The tern "raketah" (pl. raketoth) is a normal Hebrew word which has been used for years to describe what is known technically in English as a rocket (there's a difference between a mortar, a rocket and a missle which I can't define properly). Katyushas have always been described as "raketoth". In fact, Arutz 7 uses the term, see here for an example from today.
normal or not
Its onomatopoeia is so benign compared to kassam, which includes the Hebrew "zam," strong hatred.
Qassam or Kassam, it's named after a particularly nefarious character killed by the British in the fall of 1935.
It's all in the link I posted.
Names, terms and titles are all chosen for various nuances and connotations.
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