David Said:
I think it was Jon Stewart who said that "waterboarding" sounds like something you did for vacation.
Obviously, I haven't been alone in my concern: NPR ran a story about the naming of this torture practice being deceiving a few months back. "Drowning Simulation" was the best candidate but was thrown out because waterboarding IS technically drowning as the lungs fill up with water. Since then I've been thinking and apparently so has NPR. Today I heard them use "Controlled Drowning," but it still didn't sound right. It sounds too safe, too benign. So I now suggest: "Repetitive Drowning." It's concise and descriptive.
If you agree with me that America doesn't torture, i.e. in that idealistic parallel universe you learned about in 8th grade history, let's start calling it like we see it.
Alegra Said:
Wow... I didn't realized that's what water boarding was. All this time and I thought it was more along the lines of Chinese Water Torture with the drops on your head. Both are terrible, but one is so much more actively violent. I have a suggestion: How about "American Water Torture"? Not as descriptive, and probably sort of inaccurate becuase other countries probably do it, too. I'd settle for either.
Have you seen "V for Vendetta?" I highly recommend it. I had an interesting conversation about rendition, torture, and other somber and disgusting subjects last night, fueled in part by a discussion of V for Vendetta. I normally can't bear to watch violent films, but V for Vendetta is beautiful (though violent), political, thoughtful, disturbing, inspiring, and just downright excellent. It contains some Repetitive Drowning scenes.
All in the name of Extraordinary Rendition... Let's call it Outsourcing Torture.
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