Czar Wars: How did a term for Russian royalty work its way into American government?

[BREMPRO]

From Dec'08 Slate- old but currently relevant.

According to the article the Obama team doesn't like or want the term used- but the spacial economy of the word and the history of its use keeps it in the media headlines. Now the right is hypocritically utilizing the term as a propaganda tool that fits their painting of Obama as a Hitler/Stalin like socialist.

We need to catch the MSM every time they use the term Czar and tell them that this term is a factual error and to use the CORRECT titles of these Senior Counselors and Advisers.


http://www.slate.com/id/2207055


excerpt:

"In the postwar era, the rise of the "czar" has accompanied the expanding role of the executive office in promoting policy initiatives; the term tends to be used when presidents create special new posts for the individuals charged with pushing those initiatives through. Nixon succumbed to czarmania, appointing the first "drug czar," Jerome Jaffe, in 1971 (long before William Bennett took the mantle in 1988). But it was the title of "energy czar" that got the most attention during those days of OPEC embargoes and gas rationing. Though John A. Love first held the title in 1973, his more powerful successor William E. Simon really got the "czar" ball rolling. Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau found the "czar" title fitting, depicting Simon imperiously asking for his "signet ring and hot wax." Simon, for his part, enjoyed the sendup and took pleasure in colleagues calling him "your czarship."

When Nixon offered him the job, Simon would later recall, the president himself used the term energy czar and discomfitingly likened the role to that of Hitler's minister of armaments, Albert Speer. Subsequent presidents, however, have shied away from the C-word and its domineering, anti-democratic connotations. Most recently, President Bush has been careful not to call Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute his "war czar," even though he's universally labeled that in the press. It's sure a lot easier than saying his official title: assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now we hear that the Obama team doesn't like czar either. No wonder: Even now, the word evokes either old-fashioned despotism or latter-day caricatures of tin-pot tyrants. But it's safe to say it's not going anywhere, as long as that compact word keeps doing its job, glibly condensing bureaucratic mouthfuls."

[YOY]

1. "Czar" = "Ceasar"

That's where it comes from.

[eShirl]

3. "Caesar." n/t

[YOY]

5. Him too.

n.t.

[TankLV]

6. did you know that the other MAIN spelling is "Tzar"?

It's a more accurate phoenetic pronounciation of the word in Slavic usage...

posted just for shits and giggles...

[YOY]

7. The "ts" sound is one letter.

Looks like a lower case u with a little tail. Makes a sound like rats.

[Igel]

11. Ultimately, yes.

Well, with the right spelling, as pointed out in another response.

In practice, the Russian word is from either the Gothic or Greek versions of the word (both with a 'hard' c: Gk kaiser, for instance).

2nd palatalization of velars (after ai > e:) yielded the shift of k to ts. Accounting for the shift of original ai to a short i (which later regularly vanished) is a bit harder.

In Russian (Slavic, really), the -ar was taken to be a suffix, and since the suffix regularly belonged to a paradigm that had -i as the theme vowel, the final r was eventually softened and mutated. The short i vanished here, too. In Polish it's written rz, in Russian r' (where the ' indicates palatalization--not just a simple trilled r).

[OwnedByFerrets]

2. The same way that dispicable "homeland" wormed its way into

our lexicon.

[bemildred]

4. It is the media that loves the term, so they are now criticizing their own creation.

And projecting like mad too. Not a pretty picture.

[LeftishBrit]

8. 'Czar' in this sense has been common usage in the UK at least since 1997 when Blair took office

E.g. his 'drugs czar' (i.e. person in charge of drug policy, not champion drug dealer!). It is usually used here in a fairly neutral fashion.

[BREMPRO]

9. it used to be fairly neutral here, but Beck and company has politicized it.

It wasn't controversial when it was used by Bush or even Clinton. Now with the right on the defensive, they use anything (even if they used it themselves starting with Nixon) and twist history and invent a dark conspiracy theory. Beck needs medication, a LONG vacation, and an education.

[burning rain]

10. Sounds nicer than calling someone the "Energy Fuehrer," at least.

.