[anomie31]

Why do we call it kidnapping instead of extraordinary rendition?

[phendrenad2]

Possibly because the world in general has settled on certain things being lawful, such as the freedom to criticize governments without repercussion, and if Iran wants to go against that trend they can't expect to get the western media red carpet treatment.

[bawolff]

> Possibly because the world in general has settled on certain things being lawful

Extraordinary rendition is one of those things the world has settled on as being unlawful.

The actual answer is: when geopolitical allies do distasteful things we use euphamisms, when geopolitical enemies do it, we drop the propaganda pretense.

[smcl]

I think OP is saying that it’s “kidnap” when they do it but “extraordinary rendition” when we do it, regardless of what the accusation is. A helpful reminder that we correctly perceive this specific case as intolerable, and therefore we should not also allow our governments to do the same regardless of the euphemism they use

[trasz]

Except when the government in question is the US, as with Assange.

Same with terrorism - it’s evil, unless it’s Blackwater.

[boomboomsubban]

Right the West would never hire a company like UC Global to spy on a journalist famous for criticizing governments. And they certainly wouldn't encourage them to kidnap or assassinate that person. They deserve for their kidnappings to be called "extraordinary rendition."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8041597/US-plotted-...

[thereare5lights]

> such as the freedom to criticize governments without repercussion

Edward Snowden

[nickff]

Was extraordinary rendition not performed with the consent of the host country?

[VictorPath]

Just in Europe, a number of countries have protested the US government coming in without consent and kidnapping people, so the answer is no.

[dogorman]

Because everybody knows what 'kidnapping' means, and everybody knows that it's a crime. Not everybody knows what extraordinary rendition means, or that it's a crime. The general public not knowing or caring what "extraordinary rendition" means was even used as a joke in the tv show Archer.

[dmos62]

Why not call murder an extraordinary death? Provides different, possibly misleading, information.