Terrorism, Titles and Sub-Titles

Images, films, books and other semiotic bodies (including human beings) are determined for their interpretation largely by the titles and subtitles featuring them. Titles introduce content and channel interpretation. They in fact serve three basic functions; descriptive, directive and synoptic, though for Genette the major functions of titles are 'designation', 'indication of the content' and 'seduction of the public'. The title usually summarizes the content of what is going to be introduced in the main body of the message highlighting a given theme at the expense of other competing themes. In consequence, the title most often tends to be the last to be written and is crucial in the process of finalizing the work. Even in case of people, titles follow events and experiences. Axiomatically, a person is not born a professor, or a president or a doctor, yet only after a certain event or an occasion such titles are lavished upon them. Moreover, titles are restrictive and prescriptive. In other words, they restrict the interpretation of what they introduce and prescribe a certain way of looking at and dealing with things and people. They serve as guides to interpretation and tend to limit the perspective of viewing things. According to Jerrold Levinson (1985), one of the major functions of a title is focusing. In other words, it ''selects from among the main elements of core content one theme to stand as the leading one of the work…. What a focusing title does then is suggest which of the contending themes should be given center place in interpreting the work and organizing one's appreciation of it.'' Yet sub-titles are far more dangerous than titles in that they further restrict perspective by restricting the scope of the title. A book, a person or an institution with a certain title might turn out to have a totally irreconcilable or antithetical subtitle that goes at variance with the title or general heading of the given entity. In most cases, such a play on titles is intended to mislead and put people on the false track. The subtitle in these cases is not publicly revealed and is only tracked down unless placed under scrutiny and relatively long experience.

Experiments in this regard were carried out in the field of psycholinguistics to test the degree to which language plays a role in shaping and determining one's understanding and consequential dealing with the problem at hand. In an experiment, two groups of testees were given a set of candle, thumbtacks and a matchbox. Group A was given these items with labels on which 'candle', 'matchbox' and 'thumbtack' were written accordingly. Group B was given the same items yet 'holder' was written on the label of the matchbox instead of 'matchbox'. Both groups were asked to light the candle and stick it to the wall. Group B was quicker to accomplish the task by using the matchbox as a receptacle to hold the candle, while Group A took longer time to think of using the matchbox as a holder. This experiment showed the effect of naming and titling on the mind and its modus operandi.

But what does titles have to do with terrorism? Any one would not like to be called a terrorist or being associated with terrorism. Once known, a terrorist would readily be evaded and shunned away from. They are mentally plagued people and so are unwelcome anywhere. In Iraq, terrorists enter the national territories not as outspokenly fighters or insurgents or terrorists. It was clear from the interviews and cross-investigation broadcast on Al-Iraqiyah TV, many of the questioned terrorists unfolded that they entered Iraq legally as traders, workers, visitors or contractors and so they were not intercepted or checked by the borders authorities. After getting inside Iraq, they start their communications with their compatriots, partners and co-fighters who have based themselves well in Iraq after being incubated by sympathizers. So the title is a ''worker'', ''visitor'', etc. yet the sub-title is a ''terrorist''. Moreover, many people I met who work in Baghdad or travel regularly to Baghdad reported that they or other people they know have been approached by persons they do not know and offered them work. Some of them discovered that the type of work will eventually lead to terrorist activities after being attached to the terrorist groups or involved with them more deeply in life-threatening actions. At a certain phase of their metamorphosis, they find themselves lost in a world of darkness and so are unable to find their way back to rationality.

Politicians, particularly western politicians, are also making good use of the terms 'terrorist' and 'terrorism'. They can so easily indict any body they do not savour or stomach as terrorist without explaining the grounds on which they based their accusations. Therefore, a freedom fighter striving for ridding one's country of occupying forces is a terrorist; a state with nuclear programs for peaceful purposes is a terrorist state threatening global peace and international security. Such implementation of language has far-reaching devastating effects that would throw the whole universe into chaos. It is just like what goes on in Alice in the Wonderlands when words seem to lose their signification when used by Humpty Dumpty as in this example:

Then you should say what you mean,’ the March Hare went on. ‘I do,’ Alice hastily replied; ‘at least—at least I mean what I say—that's the same thing, you know.’ ‘Not the same thing a bit!’ said the Hatter. ‘Why, you might just as well say that “I see what I eat” is the same thing as “I eat what I see!” ’


Cute!