The Obama administration's semantic somersaults to avoid attaching the adjective "Islamic" to the noun "extremism" are as indicative as they are entertaining.
Progressives who believe that dialogues, conversations, engagements, conferences and summits are keys to pacifying the world have a peculiar solemnity about using certain words that are potentially insensitive. This mentality is perhaps especially acute in digitally drenched people who believe that Twitter and other social media have the power to tame turbulent reality.
The New York Times reports that the Obama administration is preparing to go toe-to-toe with the Islamic State group using, among other munitions, "more than 350 State Department Twitter accounts." According to Richard Stengel, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, "We're getting beaten on volume, so the only way to compete is by aggregating, curating and amplifying existing content."
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