Monday, August 24, 2009

for future reference.

Main Entry: bran·dish
Pronunciation: \bran-dish\
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English braundisshen, from Anglo-French brandiss-, stem of brandir, from brant, braund sword, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English brand
Date: 14th century
1 : to shake or wave (as a weapon) menacingly
2 : to exhibit in an ostentatious or aggressive manner

synonyms see swing


It's called a dictionary. Use it. (and gosh, could that article be any more hoplophobic?)

16 comments:

Crotalus said...

I really hope that article is satire, because if it is, it's great, but if not, it's the WORST excuse for journalistic integrity I have ever seen!

Anonymous said...

To twist a quote from one of my favorite characters, redefining words to meet one's own ends is a time-honored, repulsive custom. After all, we would not want people starting to think that law-abiding citizens peacefully carrying firearms in public was something normal, now would we?

stbaguley said...

3. Breakfast cereal. ;-) (Just in the mood to add on today I guess.)

Anonymous said...

I'm brandishing my stolen CMP pens but nobody notices.

Open carry too!

Next: I strap on a turtle.

B Smith said...

Actually, I was hoping to read something really helpful there, such as:
"...places you can go and have no fear of people brandishing firearms---New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other such havens of Utopian peace and harmony, which have eliminated crime by effectively rendering private firearms ownership totally illegal..."

Anonymous said...

Out of Arizona, no less? If it isn't satire, I can only assume it is some moron out of California bringing their problems with them.

Jim

Ed Skinner said...

As a resident of Phoenix, all I can say is, "Yes, you're absolutely right."
The best thing anyone can do is don't subscribe and don't patronize its advertisers.

wrm said...

Hopliphobic? No idea, I've read it three times and I still havn't found the point...

Verification: colocast. I guess that's what you use to make the holster for the nudist CCW?

Unknown said...

Well, now that you've provided the second meaning of the word, I don't think you can fault the journalists who use this word. It certainly is inflammatory, since the common understanding of the word is the first meaning only, but perhaps they're literally correct after all.

Mike W. said...

MikeB - Open Carry doesn't even fit the 2nd definition. When I OC I'm not doing anything aggressive nor ostentatious nor am I exhibiting anything. I am bearing arms, nothing more.

Glenn B said...

"It's called a dictionary. Use it. (and gosh, could that article be any more hoplophobic?)" Well said!

All the best,
GB

Ed Rasimus said...

Lighten up, people. The AZ Republic (once named the AZ Republican) is a pretty conservative paper and that article is putting down Frommer for his Euro-lib attitude about guns. It is not hopolophobic, but on the contrary, it points out that AZ is a common sense state when it comes to weapons and maintains the traditions of the West.

It is very clearly satire.

Memo to self: stop eating your young.

Gregg said...

Ed,
While the AZ Republic may have at one time been conservative, that has not been the case for at least 15 years. As long as I have lived in Phoenix it has been leftist fish wrapping.

Gregg said...

mike,
So I'm guessing that you are perfectly ok with racial profiling right?
You state that the mere visible presence of a firearm equates to exhibiting in an ostentatious or aggressive manner. How is that different from walking in the wrong neighborhood while being black, gay, etc...?

Unknown said...

Gregg, It sounds like a bit of a stretch to me to compare the impression that open carry is ostentatious or agressive and that of racial profiling.

In most places in America, to open carry is very ostentatious. That's why some of the pro-gun folks are working so hard to make it less so, and more accepted by the general public.

Mike W. said...

That it is "ostentatious is your opinion MikeB, however as far as the law is concerned Open Carry is not "Brandishing."