An angry Biased BBC readers draw my attention to this nauseating example of how the BBC thinks.
“Please note the disgusting use of the phrase “renegade Germans” to describe German Jewish and non-Jewish refugees, some of whom were able to flee the evil Nazi fascist laws passed from 1933 onwards, which took away their jobs, possessions, savings, homes, careers and ultimately would have taken away their lives if they had not escaped. Renegade indeed!! Is the BBC bonkers? Is the Dalai Lama a renegade, or Nelson Mandela? It’s quite clearly an unpleasant term. Dictionary definitions include: 1. One who rejects a religion, cause, allegiance, or group for another; a deserter. 2. An outlaw; a rebel. Of, relating to, or resembling a renegade; traitorous. To become a deserter or an outlaw.
And were those brave people who dropped out of windows on the communist side of the Berlin wall, in order to escape over the wall as it was being built, to the west, were they renegades?
I tried filling in the comments section at the bottom of this BBC article, pressed ‘Send’ and of course nothing happened.
I have sent a comment suggesting they opened a dictionary and suggested that instead they used a description like ‘fled for their lives’. Don’t suppose it will be published but it did allow me to send.
I agree, David, it does imply a deserter and carries a stigma of betrayal, dishonour, treachery and turncoating, as of someone who denies their religion or their principles. Originally it meant specifically someone who abandoned Christianity for Islam.
renegade
1580s, “apostate,” probably (with change of suffix) from Sp. renegado, originally “Christian turned Muslim,” from M.L. renegatus, prop. pp. of renegare “deny” (see renege). General sense of “turncoat” is from 1660s. The form renegate, directly from M.L., is attested in Eng. from late 14c.
From those wonderful people who often bring you a whole new meaning to the words ‘daring’ and ‘audacious’, when referring to blowing up kids or shooting folk in the back.
I’m not sure what to make of this. It feels like it wants to be a piece about regular German citizens who stood up to the Nazis, but neither of the subjects count as that at all.
One guy was a Jew, and the other saw his Jewish father go to Dachau. What is the BBC playing at here? I don’t get it.
It’s a variation on the dual loyalty theme.
You see even though these people fought our enemies it shows that Jews are disloyal and will switch sides at the drop of a hat.
I do hope that next Friday will be the beginning of the end of Al Beeb. This newspeak makes me sick.
Those of us who loathe the BBC are renegades- in their eyes anyway.
Yes, an unfortunate word to use, but before too many collars overheat you might be interested in another of Mario’s pieces ……
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7857753.stm
What else do you expect from a renegade BBC?
You’ll never see them use the term ‘renegade Jews’ to describe Jews who join in the propaganda pogrom against Israel, that’s for certain.
Don’t give them any ideas.
You’re right David, the article is a very funny mixture, like the author has little sense of the history. My parents would have been horrified at the ‘renegade’ word. Their view was that the Germany they had been citizens of, became perverted and turned against them, it wasn’t a case of them abandoning it. My father spent 30 years after WW2 using his native German for his work with the BBC Monitoring Service, mainly listening in to east German broadcasts
Re next Friday, and the whole nation expecting an austerity budget from whoever forms the government, there is one organisation that is ludicrously overfunded, rolling in money……..which is the BBC. Let’s hope there’s some cuts coming their way.
Just one point, Cameron has said that he loves the BBC, thinks it is wonderful. But then he thinks the NHS is wonderful too.