[michannne]

I know what "being disappeared" has meant historically, and I don't see why the same phrase would be problematic here. Again, I see this the same way as complaining about the term brainwashing being used in contexts that don't involve intelligence agencies

[majormajor]

Sure, let's compare a third party removing their archives of my stuff with people being detained, tortured, etc.... can't see any issue!

Brainwashing, for better or worse, has already been weakened. So someone using that term today is using it in a very different context. Time and context matters.

[michannne]

Why be so disingenious about this? Being "disappeared", at least in Western society, conjures the image of being quietly whisked away from society in an unmarked van for expressing views that a powerful body does not like. That is the article's OP felt happened - they were removed quietly from a platform because their views went against theirs.

Now, you add in things like torture and detainment. I mean, whatever. Feel free to die on this hill. My post's point is that the vast majority of society does not think of the Dirty War, or any sort of violence, when they hear the phrase "I was disappeared".

[bccdee]

> Being "disappeared", at least in Western society, conjures the image of being quietly whisked away from society in an unmarked van

> Now, you add in things like torture and detainment

I'm sorry, where do you think the unmarked van is going? "Now you add in detainment" — detainment at least. If somebody disappears, it's either because they're being kept somewhere secretly or because they've been killed.

[joe_the_user]

The thing is, Chris Hedge is still a well known commentator. I have a book of his on my shelf. I'm pretty sure he can get interviews in a number of places other than RT. This blog post of his is on the front page of HN, a large site.

Hedges hasn't been literally "disappeared", made invisible, any more than he's been a victim of what "to be disappeared" has come to mean.