perfidy

My co-blogger Ross has a comment at Winds of Change regarding a post in which Joe Katzman uses the word "idiotarian." Go read for background-- I'll wait.

Ross' comment was, to wit, "I am growing a little tired of the word "Idiotarian". I know it's fun to say, and maybe it's fun to write. Who exactly do you mean? How broad is your "idiot" brush? I think the word cheapens discourse." Joe replies with another post that to me only confirms Ross' objection. He writes,

Ross of Perfidity.org [sic] finds the term overused, and I'm seeing more discomfort with it these days from the left. To which I reply in French: tant pis (too bad). The term is very useful, precisely because it calls attention to the growing neo-fascist/neo-marxist/Islamist nexus of sympathy, mutual justification, and joint action so vividly demonstrated in that neo-nazi spam's URL collection.

Which is fair enough, as far as it goes. The list of urls that Joe refers to is just what he says-- a collection sites devoted to fringe causes, moonbats, fellow travelers, and some well-meaning bystanders.

But Joe fails to do what Ross asked-- explain what he means specifically by the term. Applying the term "idiotarian" to such a wide swath of interests makes the word exactly as useful an appelation as "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" "The G-d D-n Liberals In This Country" "Feminazis" or "The Elders of Zion." If "idiotarian" means "enemy of the country" than "enemy" works fine. If it also means "armchair marxist apologist," "antiwar advocate," "college-age ecofeminist" and "The G-d D-n Liberals In This Country" than we've got problem because "idiotarian" becomes synonymous with far too many things. Does it really denote a "Vast Left-Wing America-Hating Conspiracy"?

If so, Ross has the advantage here, because using such a broad term as "idiotarian" in a serious discussion does cheapen it somewhat.

Joe tends to post thoughtful and fiery stuff, but I'm with Ross- this particular bit, and the comments it has elicited, don't seem up to his usual standard.

[wik] Updated for clarity and stuff & junk.

[alsø wik] Again! I must be a real idiotarian.

[alsø alsø wik] And now commenters at WoC are talking about a "leftist/Islamicist alliance", that is, an active side-by-side collaboration of American leftists and Muslim terrorists, as if it's a fait accompli. Get a fricken' grip, already. This is insulting.