I was interested to see Eugene’s post on the use of the term “homicide bomber” instead of “suicide bomber”–a post that reprinted some of Juan Non-Volokh’s criticisms of the term. I considered posting on it when I linked an article from Sky News/Fox News, and was happy to see that my colleagues had weighed in against it years ago. Certainly, the term is Orwellian in it makes conveying information difficult. But it is particularly bad in a situation like London bombing.
Let me explain. In the typical case, it is OBVIOUS that the bombing was a suicide bombing. Then by calling it a “homicide bombing,” a news service tries to reflect the fact that the crucial lives lost are those of the (usually multiple) victims. But in London, where there is uncertainty whether it was a “suicide bombing” or instead a “homicide bombing” in which the bombers escaped, the term “homicide bombing” is not a synonym for “suicide bombing.” We know it was a homicide bombing–50-80 people were killed. What is unclear is whether it was a suicide bombing, in which the terrorists intended to die with their bombs. Current evidence suggests Yes.
There is a counter-argument: that the term “suicide bomber” doesn’t indicate whether anyone was killed other than the bomber, while “homicide bomber” does. But in the context in which bombings are generally discussed in the press, the death of victims is usually what triggers press coverage, so the term “suicide bomber” is more descriptive, as well as being conventional. Not only do I agree with my fellow conspirators, but I think that the London bombings illustrate just how unfortunate term “homicide bomber” is.
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