Liberty's Blog: OK, So I won't call them Refugees

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

OK, So I won't call them Refugees

I always thought a refugee was a fleeing person who was seeking safety, or refuge if you will. Seem as though some folks took exception to my calling evacuees "refugees". Folks were claiming "They are Americans, not refugees." Of course they're Americans, but "They are fleeing to safety weren't they?" I wasn't implying they weren't Americans, or suggesting anything demeaning was I? Well, according to Mirriam-Webster, there is an implication of national border crossing.

Main Entry: ref·u·gee
Pronunciation: "re-fyu-'jE, 're-fyu-"
Function: noun
Etymology: French réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge, from Latin refugium
: one that flees; especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution

So there is an element of national border crossing in the word. I think this might be a reletively recent intonation of the word. My apololgys to those I've offended, on or offline. It seemed a good word to describe their plight.