Euphemistic labels sanitized brutal torture practices in the war on terror

Evidence

U.S. forces used “enhanced interrogation” methods that inflict severe pain and distress—methods that are especially controversial, because they border on torture, which is internationally banned. Outsourcing such interrogations to other countries was called “extraordinary rendition.” Secret prisons run by the CIA in foreign countries, outside U.S. legal jurisdiction, were dubbed “black sites.” These are but a few examples of euphemistic practices that will be analyzed in greater detail later in this chapter. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2148 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Euphemism is structurally necessary to sell wars in democracies — Rob Nixon, Slow Violence and the Environmentalism…, 665; Genocidal preparation hides intent behind euphemisms and manufactures fear of victims — Gregory H. Stanton, Ten Stages of Genocide, 5; The war on terror brand relied on activists policing academic dissent (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• U.S. counterterrorism euphemisms sanitized torture, rendition, and secret prisons. #corroborates (0.98) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2148