Monday, December 01, 2008

They're "Criminal", Stains Haaretz

Haaretz reports, using its own language choice:-

The Social Affairs Ministry will soon begin an experimental program for dealing with youth and adolescents alienated from national-religious mainstream society, in an effort to address the phenomenon of "hilltop youth." A tender is about to be released to choose the operators of the program, slated to be released next month.

...The term hilltop youth is used to describe members of West Bank settlements, who commit acts of violence or vandalism against Palestinians or their property, or engage in other criminal activity.

...The tender identifies the program's target audience as youths from the national-religious community involved in dangerous activities such as loitering, crime, withdrawing from their families or religious communities, problems dealing with authority, emotional difficulties and more.


In Hebrew, there's a sayinbg, "life and death are in the hands of one's tongue".

Language can be dangerous and criminal itself.

2 comments:

Hasbara With Attitude said...

Loitering is a dangerous crime?

Is there anyone who takes the Mainstream Media seriously anymore?

Yechiel said...

I'm certainly no fan of Haaretz, but it did (as quoted by YMedad) call loitering a "dangerous activity," not a "dangerous crime." And considering the phrasing in the context of the article, it's possible to understand it as talking about activities that pose a danger to one's own self, not (necessarily) to others. The same article could have appeared in a publication not known for its settler-hatred, and nobody would think anything of it.