How popular/important do you have to be for your death by homicide to be labeled as an "assassination"? What if the homicide is for a private matter that's separate from their importance?
from DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 05:37
https://sh.itjust.works/post/45808708

Does any political office count?

What about school board or a principal?

What about a chess champion?

What if you’re the prime witness to a huge crime?

Military leaders? Chief of police?

Youtubers, podcasters?

CEO? Small bussiness owner? Manager of a store?

Does popularity matter, or is it only importance?

And lets say the leader of a country got killed, but its by their relative for, say, getting bulled as a kid, and the movive has nothing to do with their position of power? Does that count as an “assassination”?

#nostupidquestions

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etchinghillside@reddthat.com on 11 Sep 05:45 next collapse

What did a chess champion do to you?

fartographer@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 06:05 next collapse

-unplugs Deep Blue-

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works on 11 Sep 06:21 next collapse

THERE WERE NO ANAL BEADS, TOTAL SLANDER. ALSO I DID NOT KILL MAGNUS CARLSEN!

/j

Skullgrid@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 12:52 collapse

Carlsen isn’t even world champ anymore.

TheBat@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 06:23 collapse

Google en passant

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works on 11 Sep 15:08 collapse

Holy hell

NorthWestWind@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 05:47 next collapse

I think it depends more on the intention of the murder. If the killer specifically targets a person, that’s assassination. Otherwise, it’s homicide? Maybe when it’s a specific group of people it can be called genocide instead

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works on 11 Sep 06:25 next collapse

If the killer specifically targets the person for a personal motive, it’s not assassination, it’s murder.

garbagebagel@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 06:42 collapse

Maybe when it’s a specific group of people it can be called genocide instead

Unless you’re every western government, then it’s just “a conflict”.

vk6flab@lemmy.radio on 11 Sep 05:57 next collapse

I suspect that the answer depends entirely on who reports on it first. By the time the rest of the world has had time to catch up, the tone is already set.

For a related concept, consider the use of the phrase “domestic terrorism”.

Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org on 11 Sep 06:03 next collapse

The cheapest way is this:

Just tell your mom, when the press comes asking, the very first thing she says should be: “It was an assassination!”

Plebcouncilman@sh.itjust.works on 11 Sep 06:14 next collapse

I think it is fair to label something as an assassination if the death is actually only a means to an end and not the end itself. For example a prince assassinates his father to become king. The true goal is becoming king, but in order to do that the prince needs to kill the king, but the killing itself is not the end goal.

So most politically motivated murders are assassinations, because the death itself is a means to other ends.

Hayduke@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 06:21 next collapse

You have selected REGICIDE. If you know the name of the king or queen being murdered, press ONE.

SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 07:15 next collapse

Booooop

kambusha@sh.itjust.works on 11 Sep 16:30 collapse
AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 07:12 next collapse

if the death is actually only a means to an end and not the end itself

I would restrict the intended end to institutional change—it’s not an assassination if you kill someone for their parking space, but it is if you kill them for their school board vote.

Edit: I guess I’d also have to add killing someone purely for their notoriety.

mienshao@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 12:20 collapse

Huh? That has nothing to do with the definition of an assassination??? Where are you getting that from? Sometimes the goal really is just to kill the king…

The difference between homicide and assassination is who is being killed. For it to be an “assassination,” it just needs to be a planned attack on an important figure. You could definitely call yesterday’s killing an assassination if that’s what you’re getting at… Doesn’t need to be a ‘good’ person, just an important/prominent person.

Not sure why the above comment is getting so many upvotes considering it’s literally just wrong. Has nothing to do with “ends/means” or whatever the fuck.

Plebcouncilman@sh.itjust.works on 11 Sep 12:45 collapse

When the intention is just to kill the person then it’s just murder. Both murder and assassinations are homicides. When the attack isn’t planned, at least legally, it is considered manslaughter. So the only possible definition left is that an assassination is a killing that serves an end instead of being the end itself. Thats were I got it from, working logically through the definitions.

But just in case: www.britannica.com/topic/assassination

We are pretty much arguing the same position, my definition was just a little broader because I think limiting it to “prominent persons” is a little hazy. Was the CEO that Luigi supposedly killed a prominent person? I can’t even remember their name and I certainly don’t know their face so I wouldn’t consider them prominent. I’d argue this is the case for most people in regards to that case. Yet the fact of the matter is that that situation was also an assassination.

remon@ani.social on 11 Sep 14:02 next collapse

So the only possible definition left is that an assassination is a killing that serves an end instead of being the end itself.

So every murder of a parent or spouse to get inheritance or insurance money is an assassination? That seems a bit too broad.

Also I can think if like a dozen possible other definitions that have not been ruled out.

AA5B@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 17:00 collapse

government leaders and other prominent persons for political purposes

I guess it depends on who you call prominent but yes, the billionaire? CEO of one of the biggest healthcare companies in the US was in a prominent (important) position regardless whether anyone knew who he was. And yes there is evidence of a political purpose.

I have to say that going into this my reaction was no, this is not an assassination. However looking at the linked definition and thinking it through changed my opinion

iii@mander.xyz on 11 Sep 06:18 next collapse

Homicide changes to murder with the criminal’s intent. Murder moves to assasination when the intent is to dictate one’s opinion over others using lethal violence.

josefo@leminal.space on 11 Sep 06:35 next collapse

For me, it’s on the professional execution of the job. Murder sounds more unhinged to me, more passionate, usually not as premeditated or carried over by a professional. Homicide is the technical term for both.

deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz on 11 Sep 07:42 next collapse

Technically, it’s when an assassin does it.

Poojabber@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 15:02 collapse

Do you go to college to become an assassin? How does one become an assassin without first assassinating someone? This is a real “chicken or the egg” type of situation…

deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz on 11 Sep 18:18 collapse

The term “assassin” likely has roots in hashshāshīn (“hashish smokers or users”), a mispronunciation of the original Asāsiyyūn, but not a mispronunciation of Assasiyeen (pronounced “Asāsiyyeen”, the plural of “Asasi”). Originally referring to the methods of political control exercised by the Assasiyuun, one can see how it became “assassin” in several languages to describe similar activities anywhere.

Apparently by smoking.

cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 11 Sep 09:35 next collapse

Murder is killing with malice. Assassination is killing for political capital. There can be crossover but it isn’t necessary.

Take a head of state — not strictly a current one, not wishing here. Just as an example. He’s giving a speech, it’s an assassination. You caught him in bed with your wife and shot them both — that’s murder.

SolidShake@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 14:13 next collapse

How come 3 kids got shot in Colorado on the same day but people care about some guy bashing the LGBT community?

dwindling7373@feddit.it on 11 Sep 14:54 next collapse

That’s an easy one: he was much more famous.

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works on 11 Sep 14:55 next collapse

I’m more curious about the Wikipedia editor’s debating whether or not to change it from “shooting of [name]” to “assassination of [name]”, as in the Lexicology aspect, not the Criminology aspect.

HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club on 11 Sep 17:04 collapse

We’re used to kids getting shot.

spittingimage@lemmy.world on 11 Sep 21:58 collapse

That’s a disturbing thing to read.

NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone on 12 Sep 00:54 collapse

They didn’t call it “assassination” when Jo Cox was killed by Brexiteers, so I guess it depends on what the media moguls want.