Time Takes Sides

The problem with this cover is not the stark image--it shows the brutality that women face in Afghanistan. The issue is the headline: it suggests this imagery is what we can expect should American forces leave after nine years. The problem is, it's what is happening NOW, with us in the country.

I am not naive. Things will not go well for a lot of people when American forces leave.  Women, in particular, face a very rough road. We have examples from our prior wars to learn from, including Vietnam and Cambodia, Somalia and others. And I have no idea if we have a plan to rescue some people, to bring out the schoolteachers, translators and aid workers who most helped the American side. But the cost the people of Afghanistan will pay has to be weighed against what they are paying now for our presence, including bombings, raids, etc.

Time magazine may not have intended to make a political statement with its choice of images, but it certainly did with its words.

Greg Mitchell's thoughts.

Language Analyzed

Linguist Steven Pinker looks at language, and the way it expresses the workings of our minds. From the TED conference.