Monday, March 31, 2014

You think?

Language has meaning.  It bothers me that we have become imprecise.  I insist that my students say what they mean, not leave it up to the listener to interpret their meaning.  Could have something to do with being a math teacher.

So imagine yesterday, as I listened to a round-table show on the situation in Ukraine as I was driving into LA yesterday.  The host said in reference to the Russian invasion of Crimea, and I quote:
these invasions often lead to violence
Really?  Invasions lead to violence?  Not are violence but lead to violence.

OK, so we can probably assume that she meant that there was often violence that came after as the local population reacted to the initial invasion, but her statement appears to put the blame on the reaction, rather than the initiation of the use of force by the invaders.

Just bothers me somewhat.

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