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SOLDIER

James Joyner
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9 responses to “SOLDIER”

  1. Little Miss Attila Avatar
    Little Miss Attila

    It’s called the “man of the year” designation, but it’s often not a man at all–or even a person. (Like in the sixties, when they honored a “generation.”)

    As I understand it, the first woman to be the “man of the year” was selected/recognized in the thirties.

  2. Rodney Dill Avatar
    Rodney Dill

    J. P. Carter blew it. Time Magazine got it right. In this case intentions out weigh semantics.

  3. J.P. Carter Avatar
    J.P. Carter

    Semantics? Then why did Time change “Man of the Year” to “Person of the Year”? Was that a silly dispute over semantics?

    The truth is, Mr. Dill, that words have meanings. Just becasue some people think that the military is composed of faceless, interchangeable “soldiers” does not make it so.

  4. Rodney Dill Avatar
    Rodney Dill

    The truth is, Mr. Dill, that words have meanings. Just becasue some people think that the military is composed of faceless, interchangeable “soldiers” does not make it so.

    Naming the US Solder the Person of the year does not make them either faceless or interchangeable to me. Nor does it, in my view, constitute an attempt to only honor the Army footsoldier. I can understand and appreciate the attempt to place credit where credit is due, without trying to read more into it.

  5. Mac Swift Avatar
    Mac Swift

    In another twist of irony, LGF points out Time’s inconsistency in naming the Person of the Year while one of its reporters hang out with the very same people who want to KILL those same “Persons” of the Year.

    Is this what they mean by “fair and balanced” reporting?

  6. James Joyner Avatar
    James Joyner

    Mac: I’m not sure how Time is to avoid that, to be honest. Talking to the enemy is reasonably part of getting out the whole story. That’s not to say that they should be portrayed as equivalent to our forces, but telling only one side of the story amounts to propaganda.

  7. Mac Swift Avatar
    Mac Swift

    I don’t know, giving terrorists equal time in the media tends to rub me the wrong way for some reason.

  8. James Joyner Avatar
    James Joyner

    I don’t think it’s a matter of giving equal time but rather of telling the story. It’s a reasonable thing to want to know what motivates the enemy, how they think, and that sort of thing.

  9. Mac Swift Avatar
    Mac Swift

    That’s reasonable enough. Given Time’s track record though, you’ll forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical, with visions of Reuters’ “neutral language” dancing on my head. 🙂

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