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May 16, 2005

"the", "a" and the difference between symbols and things.

I've been hearing this on the radio for a few days and, outside of all the huge issues involved, there is one curious small one.

“Newsweek magazine Sunday apologized for a May 9 report alleging U.S. interrogators flushed the Quran down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay...”

Isn't there a big difference between the Quran and a copy of the Quran, and the toilet and a toilet?

If you use “the”, then the sentence is symbolic.

“George Bush flushed the constitution down the toilet.”

If you use “a” then the sentence is factual, and the act is possibly symbolic.

“George Bush flushed a copy of the constitution down a toilet.”

Or possibly he just brought it into the men’s room for a little light reading and it slipped out of his hands.

Anyway, there is a difference between “the toilet” and “a toilet” just like there is a difference between “the moon” and “a moon” with one small exception. “The moon” is a specific moon and “the toilet” is not any toilet, but a metaphor for disrespectful disposal.

So what does it mean that the media is mixing these up? I think it’s more than just sloppy, but I’m not sure what it is.

Update: I had a chance to check my copy of Newsweek for the actual original wording. " ... interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Qur'an down a toilet and led a detainee around with a collar and dog leash." It gets worse after that.

And Newsweek is still hosting the story, unedited. Imagine that.

Posted by dme at May 16, 2005 12:26 PM

Comments

Perhaps there's only one toilet in Guantanamo...

Posted by: justinwolfe [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 22, 2005 01:10 PM

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