From: Patricia Neill 
Subject: Words Can Kill, Sez Professor
Message-ID: <01HXG17DOJR68ZDZGF@db1.cc.rochester.edu>
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 1995 16:59:05 -0500

Feel free to repost ... my thanks to Monte Cooley for the idea that
got me goin' ...


Words Can Kill, Sez Professor
by Patricia Neill

On National Public Radio on November 7, 1995 I heard a reporter
interviewing some professor at Tel Aviv University by the name of
Bernard Sussman about the Rabin assassination. Mr. Sussman said,
"Words can kill just the same way guns can." Amazing. Do they *pay*
these guys to say this kind of witless thing in public? (I'll leave
this concept to the imaginations of all you millions of military and
civilian folks out there who actually know how guns work ... and how
words work.) Mr. Sussman must be a professor of metaphysics, because
while his grip on unreality seems fairly solid, I'm not confident
about his grip on reality!

A few minutes later, the objectively-reporting gurus over at NPR gave
front coverage to some cheese-monger from the Anti-Defamation League
(you know, those people who spend all their time and money defaming
anyone who dares to disagree with them--that is, when they are not
actively spying on people). This ADL spokesman intoned in the most
solemn of voices "Words do kill." Amazing stuff, isn't it? "Words do
kill" ... spoken in a most authoritative tone of voice this pipsqueak
could muster, no doubt, as if that would help lil ol' me buy this
particular bit of quackspeak.

NPR filled its report with noises about how a bunch of angry folks in
Israel get together and yak and yell about politics, what they like,
what they don't like. The formerly obscure group that spawned Amir (as
in no one's ever even heard of them before--and I sure can't remember
their name) didn't like Rabin's "land for peace" deal. I must admit,
"land for peace" is surely trading the most tangible thing in the
world for the most *intangible* thing in the world ... but then, what
do I know about the arcane niceties of Israeli politics? Only what the
media chooses to tell me, unfortunately ... and they've left it pretty
vague. For instance, NPR didn't see fit to tell me anything the
assassin actually said and thought--besides that God told him to do
it, which is not very informative. On the other hand, what I do know
is that the media is telling me that this yakity yak, this blowing-
off-of-steam, this yelling and shouting and jumping-up-and-down has
somehow affected the "climate" over the city of Jerusalem! The
assassin Amir and his obscure group of "rightwing political
extremists" by their words alone managed to alter the weather itself.
Nifty trick! I'm sure my cousins the farmers in Ohio would love to
learn that one!

"The extremist political rhetoric created the climate surrounding
Rabin's assassination"--sounds like Rabin was surrounded by a cloud, a
big nasty dark violent cloud. Maybe that's why the Israeli secret
service and the Mossad--reputedly the best in their business--couldn't
see Rabin well enough to do their jobs and protect his life. At any
rate, they were patently unable to stop an assassin from walking up to
Rabin and killing him right in front of their noses. I mean, where
*were* these guys? All taking a whiz at the same time? All gone on a
smoke break? Nope. The secret service guys were all present and
accounted for. I don't know about you, but that excuse about looking
for an Arab assassin, so they didn't notice the Jewish one just
doesn't make sense to me. That's a pretty weak excuse for anyone, but
for these guys, it is ridiculous! "He wasn't wearing a turban and a
robe, so we didn't think he was an assassin!" Evidently Amir didn't
have the courtesy to wear a neon sign with 3 foot day-glo letters that
read "I AM AN ASSASSIN." Do they really expect us to believe this
tripe?

In its reporting, NPR made sure to point out that the main climate-
altering ingredient involved seemed to be the "rightwing" nature of
the "rhetoric." I'm having to imagine this, but presumably all these
nasty words like "We don't want to trade our land for peace" made the
air so sticky, or made it so cold, or damp, or cloudy, or whatever,
that Amir couldn't resist killing Rabin--with his *words*, apparently
... although I could have *sworn* he used a gun. (This perhaps
explains why the media chooses to run stories like this early in the
morning--they're figuring that I'm not quite awake yet and will be
more likely to believe whatever silliness they're throwing my way.)

"Rightwing Extremist Rhetoric"--words contained in any statement that
could be called RER are to be considered essentially dangerous, having
the same physical effect as bullets. Listening to words of that nature
could get you killed. Speaking words of that nature could make you a
murderer. This, at any rate, is the logical extention of "Words can
kill the same way guns can" --especially rightwing, extremist ...
*yawn* ... 'scuse me...words have the power of ... what? Nine
millimeter? .357 magnum bullets? Hollowpoints? Black Talons? Was that
what killed Rabin? Assault Words? Killer Words? In high-capacity
sentences? Is this what the quackspeak folks want me to believe? Does
anyone else smell sedition laws and rabid censorship right around the
corner? And what about leftwing words--do they have the same potential
to kill, or is it only rightwing words?

As far as I can tell, Amir did NOT walk up to Rabin and say "Drop
dead, Rabin." He walked up to him and shot him with a real gun with
real bullets. I would appreciate it if these media folks would ask a
few more tough and thoughtful questions about what the *hell* the
secret service people were doing ... or not doing while Rabin was shot
to death in front of their eyes. And I would appreciate it if they
would quit offending *my* sense of reality with mushbrained ideas like
"Words can kill the same way guns can." And until they do, all media
idiots proclaiming such nonsense can just drop dead.

(If they all do, then maybe I'll believe them!)

Patricia Neill
pnpj@db1.cc.rochester.edu

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