Black councilwoman scolded by cops for inciting race riot, storms out of meeting (New York)

BizPac Review ^ | September 8, 2014 | Joe Saunders

[RitaOK]

Oh, puhleeeze. Are you an adolescent, or just imitating?

[Spok]

Why didn’t she just shriek about racist, white bigoted cops and demand he be terminated? That would be a more typical response.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

Trying to use big words that you don't understand can sometimes get you in trouble. I think she may have meant "decimate."

Ah, yes "decimate" which most people use to mean "totally obliterate".

In fact decimate comes down to us from the Romans. When a Roman legion didn't meet expectations (didn't show the expected enthusiasm for slaughter!) the Centurion in charge of the laggard cohort was instructed to decimate the ranks.

This did not entail killing everyone as to do so would not encourage the required fighting spirit. Rather the Centurion was required to kill one man in ten (a 10% reduction). Applying this sort of object lesson encouraged the remaining troops to display an acceptable attitude without unnecessarily depleting the unit's strength.

I long for the old days, there was a certain clarity then that seems to be lost...

Regards,
GtG

PS One wonders what she would have thought of "niggardly"!

[Flag_This]

"Rather the Centurion was required to kill one man in ten (a 10% reduction)."

The centurion didn't kill them - their own comrades were required to beat them to death.

[hummingbird]

"Even if she meant decimate, that only means destroy 1 out of 10."

----------------------->

Right....Maybe she means devastate....I always think 1 of 10 when I see/hear decimate.

Wonder when decimate was first used for devastate.

[DariusBane]

Oh dear. Was that supposed to be pithy...? My teenage kids can do better than that.