Attack vs. Criticize

The media often reports that some politician has “attacked” another, especially when the alleged attacker is a Republican or conservative. To some degree, the press likes to foment fights in order to generate stories by pitting politicians against each other. Apparently, it is not enough for the media to just to report what one politician has said about another, so it has to make more of the politician’s statement than it is.

It has gotten to the point that any time one politician expresses a disagreement with another, however gently, such criticism is labeled an “attack.” Thus, the word attack has been so overused as to become diluted. Pearl Harbor or September 11 were attacks. Mild expressions of criticism within the context of political discourse are not.

Unless someone is physically assaulted, or so thoroughly lambasted in a personal way verbally as if assaulted, we should avoid calling every critcism an attack.