Item — HN Reader

> The meta...

I hate this kind of terminology with such fervent hatred as someone DefTech adjacent.

It's just the sheer callousness of gamifying warfare.

Edit: can't reply

> How would you have me call it

Tactics.

It's emotionally neutral and sounds less like someone who follows warfare the same way someone follows competitive StarCraft 2 or DoTA.

3 comments

People have been gamifying war since prehistoric times. Most traditional sports are basically practise for war. While we have moved past it in the last few decades, most toys for boys are war based (tin soldiers aren't being used to act out an imaginary disarmament scenario). We even use the word "game theory" to denote the mathematical study of strategy (which often ends up being about war).

The ship has well and truly sailed.

This doesnt mean we cant retain any decorum or limits around it, especially when discussing the real thing.

What word would you have me use?

how did you feel about Hegseth's "double tap" strike?

Double tap is standard terminology since my time on the Hill during Obama 2, and I think originates from the Vietnam War.

On the other hand, I am disgusted by the cuts of strikes that were superimposed with memes and soundtracks at the beginning of the war that were spread on official social media.