Re:Surgeon admits to branding initials on patients' livers
by mcphage on Monday December 18, 2017 @09:02AM
(#15951618)
> I'm not sure why this evokes such a strong reaction in me. I think it's because it's like a claim of "ownership".
That's because of the use of the word "branding", which is what cattle farmers do to their animals to indicate ownership. Had they used something more value-neutral like "initialed", our reactions wouldn't be nearly as strong.
(I'm not saying that "branding" is the wrong word to use, nor that "initialed" would have been better, just that the specific words we hear matter, even when their meaning is mostly the same)
That's because of the use of the word "branding", which is what cattle farmers do to their animals to indicate ownership. Had they used something more value-neutral like "initialed", our reactions wouldn't be nearly as strong.
(I'm not saying that "branding" is the wrong word to use, nor that "initialed" would have been better, just that the specific words we hear matter, even when their meaning is mostly the same)