Abusing Terms

It isn't "genocide", but we still should act

Most of the people upset that Trump is calling what's happening to white farmers in South Africa a "genocide" are perfectly fine calling what's happening in Gaza "genocide".

This is the danger of using outsized rhetoric for affect. You confuse the popular understanding of the term in question, and make society as a whole even dumber as a consequence. Stupid societies don't deal optimally with difficult questions. They can't - because they're stupid. The limiting factor of "stupid" is baked into the Stupid Cake.

The fact is, neither Gaza nor South Africa rise to the level of genocide. This is the place where I'm supposed to define for you what a proper genocide is - but I'm not going to. Not because I've no dictionary available, nor because I'm incapable of making the argument defending the definition against the circumstances. But because I aim to make a point that you may well be unfamiliar with the distinction between "deaths that I don't like" and "genocide". I'm going to place the preverbal ball in your court and simply say "look it up".

Assuming you have looked it up . . .

Israel killing a large number of civilians, while their targets intentionally use civilians as human shields, is not a genocide. It's the consequence of war with people who willingly sacrifice civilians in hopes that the world will call the event a "genocide", recoil and condemn as would fit a proper genocide.

What's happening in South Africa is not a genocide. Malema seems to be stoking what could lead to a genocide, but the early-stage groundwork for a genocide is not a "genocide". I expect a large number of white South African farmers have certainly been killed with the particular glee attendant to racial animus. But EVERYONE gets killed in South Africa - because South Africa is a complete shit-hole. The self-justifying joy attendant to white farmers' murders - in a country where everyone risks being murdered for simply drawing breath - does not a genocide make.

This confusion about a term and its overuse only serves to complicate an otherwise simple question. We don't need to wait for the genocide volcano to erupt in South Africa to bring as many Afrikaners over as want to come. We can simply recognize the early warning signs of a potential genocide, and prevent it coming to fruition.

I'm all for the immigration of as many white South Africans as want to come over before the clock attached to wires that may or may lead to a bomb strikes the hour of "genocide". This in an educated, technologically sound population who speaks English, and thusly can immediately contribute across wide sectors of the economy without special linguistic accommodation. Their children will not require special linguistic accommodation in schools - which will allow us to save or redirect language accommodation funds to more fruitful endeavors. The religious among this population are overwhelmingly Christian, so they will easily assimilate into our society.

What's happening in South Africa isn't a genocide, but it seems dangerously close to one. We can avoid the shame of Rwanda, and boost our population with preverbally perfect immigrants, before any potential genocidal bloodshed starts in earnest.

Because Gaza was part of this discussion early on, let's not ignore it. The invitation to the white South Africans is unique because they are so overwhelmingly culturally compatible with the United States. I do not think we should extend this same welcome to the people of Gaza. They do not speak English, they are not nearly as educated, and they have a religion that does not easily assimilate into our society (there is no concept of "secular state" in Islam). They need a solution, but it won't be the same solution. Their solution lies within the Arab world.

Ensuring the safety of white South Africans and the Arabs of Gaza shares at least one similarity - the world not tripping over its feet by misapplying the word "genocide". We shouldn't use over-blown language to make either case - because it will find us bogged down in unnecessary and ultimately time-wasting definitional questions. Just resettle these people, without waiting for more of them to die while we confuse ourselves about the misapplication of a word.